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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 120 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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pop — music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pop — to visit
  7. spell — letters
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. row — a line
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. spell — a short time
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. swing — to play on
  15. foot — a measure
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. swing — music
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pop — soda
  21. row — to paddle
  22. spell — magic
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. leaves — to go away

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