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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mug — a face
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pit — in a race
  6. game — a match
  7. rash — a series
  8. mug — a cup
  9. pit — a hole
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. march — the month
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pop — to visit
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mug — to rob
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. march — the month
  21. pop — soda
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pop — music
  24. game — a kind of play

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