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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. march — the month
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. spell — magic
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. fall — to drop
  13. march — music
  14. tear — to rip
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — to get on
  17. spell — a short time
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. march — the month
  20. tear — from crying
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. spell — letters
  24. fall — the season

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