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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · calf · row · file · craft · rock · capital · march

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rock — music
  4. file — a document
  5. ball — a great time
  6. march — the month
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. file — a line of people
  9. row — to paddle
  10. capital — money
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — a skill
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — a city
  19. craft — boats
  20. rock — a stone
  21. file — a tool
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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