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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — of a word
  4. file — a tool
  5. last — final
  6. ball — a dance
  7. march — the month
  8. squash — the sport
  9. file — a line of people
  10. last — finally
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. last — to go on
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. march — the month
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. root — the cause
  19. march — music
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. ball — a great time
  22. file — a document
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. kick — in football

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