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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. march — music
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cue — for pool
  10. clip — a video
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. march — the month
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. march — the month
  17. cue — a signal
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ball — a dance
  22. cue — a hint
  23. ball — a great time
  24. net — in sport

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