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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. spell — magic
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. can — a tin
  8. mine — for digging
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rash — hasty
  12. can — a tin
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. rash — a series
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. spell — letters
  19. dip — to sink
  20. can — to be able to
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. march — the month
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. spell — a short time

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