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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. march — music
  3. season — in sport
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. march — the month
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. kid — to tease
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. fall — to drop
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. march — the month
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fall — the season
  21. deal — to handle
  22. game — a match
  23. kid — child
  24. pound — a weight

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