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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. march — the month
  3. staff — employees
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. last — final
  6. staff — a stick
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mate — to breed
  10. staff — employees
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. march — music
  19. sharp — clever
  20. march — the month
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. last — finally
  23. mate — a partner
  24. last — to go on

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