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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. land — to come down
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. march — the month
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. land — ground
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pop — soda
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. march — music
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. march — the month
  19. pop — music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. land — a country
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. fork — in a road

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