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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. rule — a law
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. march — music
  15. wind — moving air
  16. row — a line
  17. last — final
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pass — a permit
  20. march — the month
  21. rule — government
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. calf — of the leg

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