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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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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: track · squash · racket · march · calf · cold · straw · arm

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cold — an illness
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. track — a song
  12. march — the month
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. march — the month
  19. squash — to crush
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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