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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. last — finally
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. last — final
  10. tear — from crying
  11. shower — rain
  12. squash — the sport
  13. ball — a dance
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. squash — to crush
  20. last — to go on
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. ball — a round shape

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