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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. march — the month
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. present — the time now
  5. saw — the tool
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mine — for digging
  8. march — the month
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. present — there
  11. court — for sport
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. saw — the tool
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. march — music
  17. present — a gift
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. court — of a king

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