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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 120 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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. mug — a cup
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. content — the amount
  7. march — the month
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mug — a face
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. court — for sport
  16. content — happy
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. march — the month
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. squash — the sport
  21. court — of law
  22. mug — to rob
  23. court — of a king
  24. march — music

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