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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. club — for golf
  3. march — music
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. scale — in music
  7. mug — to rob
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. mug — a cup
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. scale — size or range
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. game — a match
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. stem — to come from
  24. game — wild animals

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