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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. field — a subject
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. field — for sport
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. field — farmland
  12. current — of water
  13. deal — to handle
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. current — electric
  18. march — the month
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. current — happening now
  21. march — music
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — an agreement

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