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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. object — an aim
  4. pop — soda
  5. net — for catching
  6. pop — music
  7. march — music
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. last — finally
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. last — final
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. last — to go on
  17. pop — to visit
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — a thing
  24. hide — to keep secret

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