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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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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fall — to drop
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — there
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ball — a dance
  12. fall — the season
  13. present — a gift
  14. mine — for digging
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. dip — to sink

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