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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 116 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. swing — to play on
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. swing — in golf
  11. rash — a series
  12. court — of a king
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. swing — music

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