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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. object — to protest
  5. march — music
  6. band — a music group
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — an aim
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. band — a ring
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. clip — for paper
  14. march — the month
  15. content — happy
  16. clip — to cut
  17. content — the amount
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. march — the month
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. clip — a video
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. deal — an agreement

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