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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bore — to tire
  3. saw — the tool
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rash — a series
  7. march — the month
  8. bore — to drill
  9. rash — hasty
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. march — the month
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. hand — help
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. march — music

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