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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. court — of a king
  4. march — music
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. court — for sport
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. clip — a video
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. court — of law
  15. lean — to bend
  16. march — the month
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stock — shares
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. march — the month
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. stock — goods
  24. lean — thin

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