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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. kid — child
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. kid — to tease
  8. march — music
  9. file — a document
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. file — a tool
  13. spring — of water
  14. foot — a measure
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. net — after costs
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. file — a line of people
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — the season

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