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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 120 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. march — music
  3. saw — the tool
  4. shower — rain
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. court — of a king
  9. shower — to wash
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. court — for sport
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. lean — to bend
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. lean — thin
  20. court — of law
  21. march — the month
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. march — the month
  24. calf — a young animal

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