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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lean — to bend
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. swing — to play on
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. mug — to rob
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. last — final
  14. mug — a face
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. lean — thin
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. march — music
  19. mug — a cup
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. march — the month
  22. last — to go on
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. last — finally

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