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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. squash — the sport
  10. scale — size or range
  11. court — for sport
  12. deal — to handle
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. stem — to come from
  18. squash — to crush
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. scale — in music
  24. deal — a big deal

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