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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. toast — bread
  3. spell — a short time
  4. march — the month
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. march — the month
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. spell — letters
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. march — music
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — a trail
  17. game — a match
  18. spell — magic
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. last — to go on
  24. toast — the most admired

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