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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 had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. spring — a coil
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pop — music
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pop — to visit
  8. court — of law
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. squash — the sport
  11. band — a music group
  12. court — of a king
  13. row — a line
  14. band — a ring
  15. spring — of water
  16. file — a document
  17. court — for sport
  18. file — a line of people
  19. squash — to crush
  20. spring — the season
  21. pop — soda
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. file — a tool
  24. row — a quarrel

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