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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: mine · toast · march · pit · calf · spring · game · land

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. land — to come down
  3. game — a match
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a hole
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mine — for digging
  9. toast — bread
  10. spring — the season
  11. march — the month
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. game — wild animals
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. march — music
  18. spring — of water
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. spring — a coil

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