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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rash — hasty
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. pitch — completely
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. roll — a list
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rock — music
  16. cold — an illness
  17. roll — a cake
  18. march — the month
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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