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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. march — music
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cell — a phone
  14. march — the month
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. field — a subject
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cell — in biology
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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