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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pound — a weight
  3. present — the time now
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. present — there
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. clip — a video
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. march — the month
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. present — a gift

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