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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. face — to confront
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. rock — music
  9. last — finally
  10. field — for sport
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. march — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. face — to point toward
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. face — part of the head
  17. field — farmland
  18. last — final
  19. field — a subject
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. last — to go on
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. rock — to move gently

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