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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. last — finally
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. firm — decided
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. season — of the year
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. march — the month
  15. firm — steady
  16. last — to go on
  17. season — in sport
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pop — to visit
  24. last — final

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