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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. march — music
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. kid — to tease
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. last — final
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. sharp — clever
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. chip — for betting
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. chip — to eat
  20. kid — child
  21. last — to go on
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. last — finally
  24. sharp — exactly

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