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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. march — the month
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. staff — employees
  5. file — a tool
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. staff — a stick
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. dip — to sink
  14. file — a document
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. net — after costs
  19. march — music
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. file — a line of people
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. staff — employees
  24. march — the month

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