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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 116 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. last — finally
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. last — final
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. march — the month
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. lean — thin
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. last — to go on
  14. game — a match
  15. lean — to bend
  16. march — the month
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. object — a thing
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. object — an aim
  22. squash — the sport
  23. object — to protest
  24. squash — to crush

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