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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. court — of a king
  3. game — a match
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. game — wild animals
  6. tube — a container
  7. march — the month
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. court — of law
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. march — the month
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. march — music
  23. court — for sport
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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