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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. plane — a tool
  3. roll — a cake
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. season — of the year
  6. swing — to play on
  7. march — the month
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. swing — in golf
  11. season — in sport
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. march — music
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. swing — music
  19. roll — a list
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. march — the month
  24. hide — to keep secret

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