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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pop — soda
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. race — a contest
  10. plane — a tool
  11. cap — of ice
  12. clip — a video
  13. race — humankind
  14. foot — a measure
  15. cap — a hat
  16. pop — music
  17. clip — to cut
  18. march — music
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. clip — for paper
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. race — the arms race
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. foot — part of the body

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