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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rest — a break
  6. saw — the tool
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mark — a trace
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. chest — a box
  14. ground — a position
  15. rest — what's left
  16. march — the month
  17. ground — the earth
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — to pay attention

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