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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rock — music
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. rock — a stone
  10. march — the month
  11. file — a line of people
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. track — a path
  16. bulb — for light
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. march — music
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. march — the month
  23. pound — a weight
  24. rock — to move gently

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