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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bound — tied together
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. land — a country
  7. rush — hurry
  8. club — for dancing
  9. land — to come down
  10. club — for golf
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bound — certain
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. scale — in music
  16. march — the month
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bound — obliged
  20. scale — size or range
  21. land — ground
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. march — the month
  24. club — a group

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