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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. ground — crushed
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stem — to come from
  6. ground — the earth
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. ground — a position
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chair — a leader
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. march — the month
  14. fine — all right
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. capital — money
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fine — high quality
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. capital — a city
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. march — the month
  24. fine — a penalty

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