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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. band — a music group
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pop — music
  6. lean — thin
  7. band — a ring
  8. net — in sport
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pop — soda
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. net — after costs
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. fall — to drop
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pop — to visit
  20. fall — the season
  21. net — for catching
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. calf — of the leg

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