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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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. calf — of the leg
  2. bass — the fish
  3. march — the month
  4. club — a group
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. file — a document
  7. club — for dancing
  8. file — a tool
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. current — electric
  12. drill — army training
  13. current — of water
  14. file — a line of people
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. march — the month
  17. drill — a practice
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bass — low music
  21. season — in sport
  22. club — for golf
  23. current — happening now
  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