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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. club — for dancing
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bat — the animal
  7. club — for golf
  8. ground — a position
  9. pop — soda
  10. wax — to grow
  11. sharp — clever
  12. ground — crushed
  13. club — a group
  14. pop — music
  15. game — a match
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pop — to visit
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. game — wild animals

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