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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rule — government
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lean — to bend
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rule — a law
  13. game — wild animals
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. mine — for digging
  16. march — the month
  17. lean — thin
  18. march — music
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. patient — a sick person

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