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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. drill — the tool
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. march — the month
  5. charge — electricity
  6. drill — army training
  7. present — the time now
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. present — there
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. march — music
  12. charge — in control
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. charge — a price
  15. present — a gift
  16. season — of the year
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. drill — a practice
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. march — the month
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. season — in sport
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

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