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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. clip — to cut
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. march — music
  10. bore — to drill
  11. spring — the season
  12. cue — a hint
  13. spring — of water
  14. clip — a video
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. cue — for pool
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. cue — a signal
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bore — to tire

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