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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. roll — a cake
  3. ground — crushed
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. charge — in control
  7. bass — low music
  8. march — music
  9. charge — electricity
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ground — a position
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. tear — from crying
  16. march — the month
  17. rest — a break
  18. roll — a list
  19. tear — to rip
  20. charge — a price
  21. ground — the earth
  22. rest — what's left
  23. tear — from crying
  24. march — the month

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