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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. rock — music
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. drill — the tool
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. drill — army training
  19. toast — bread
  20. march — music
  21. drill — a practice
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. court — for 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