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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. toast — bread
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. cap — a hat
  5. march — music
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. march — the month
  9. cap — a lid
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cap — of ice
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wind — moving air
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. fine — high quality
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. fine — all right

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