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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. present — a gift
  4. current — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. march — the month
  8. kick — in football
  9. mate — to breed
  10. present — there
  11. hand — in cards
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. march — music
  14. mate — a friend
  15. march — the month
  16. current — electric
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. present — the time now
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. mate — a partner
  24. coach — a trainer

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