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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. board — a committee
  3. chest — a box
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pit — in a race
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. chest — of your body
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. file — a tool
  10. march — the month
  11. file — a line of people
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pit — a hole
  16. chest — of your body
  17. file — a document
  18. march — music
  19. season — of the year
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. shower — to wash
  22. board — to get on
  23. shower — rain
  24. season — in sport

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