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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 116 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. fall — the season
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. march — the month
  7. fall — to drop
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. march — the month
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — temperature
  18. season — in sport
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. season — of the year
  24. march — music

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