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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 116 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. object — to protest
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. season — of the year
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. object — a thing
  17. march — the month
  18. season — in sport
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. object — an aim
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. last — finally

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