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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: march · cell · mark · kick · calf · fan · ball · swing

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. ball — a great time
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. march — the month
  8. swing — music
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. ball — a dance
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. mark — a grade
  15. march — the month
  16. cell — a phone
  17. swing — in golf
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. mark — a trace
  20. swing — to play on
  21. cell — in biology
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fan — a supporter

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