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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bat — the animal
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. season — of the year
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. march — the month
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. tear — from crying
  11. kick — in football
  12. march — music
  13. tear — from crying
  14. march — the month
  15. ball — a dance
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rock — music
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. season — in sport
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. tear — to rip

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