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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. ball — a great time
  4. rock — music
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. scale — size or range
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. chest — of your body
  9. march — the month
  10. ball — a dance
  11. spring — of water
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. scale — in music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. chest — a box
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. rock — a stone
  19. march — the month
  20. staff — employees
  21. chest — of your body
  22. march — music
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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