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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. bore — to drill
  6. shower — to wash
  7. file — a document
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. net — in sport
  11. shower — rain
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. net — for catching
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. file — a line of people
  16. march — music
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. tube — the underground
  19. net — after costs
  20. file — a tool
  21. bore — to tire
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. tube — a container

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com