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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. date — the fruit
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. march — the month
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. wind — moving air
  10. march — music
  11. last — to go on
  12. wind — moving air
  13. march — the month
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. last — final
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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