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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. foot — a measure
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — a coil
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. chip — to eat
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pop — music
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. spell — letters
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. spell — magic
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pop — to visit
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spring — of water
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. hand — help

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