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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. chip — to eat
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. ball — a great time
  7. hand — in cards
  8. season — in sport
  9. key — the most important part
  10. season — of the year
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. shower — to wash
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. chip — for betting
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. shower — rain
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. key — in music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. ball — a dance
  24. key — for a lock

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