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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. present — a gift
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. row — a line
  7. wax — to grow
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. foot — a measure
  11. present — the time now
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. fine — all right
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. fine — high quality
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. row — to paddle
  24. present — there

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