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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bass — the fish
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. row — to paddle
  8. last — final
  9. chip — to eat
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bass — low music
  16. chip — for betting
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. last — to go on
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. kick — in football
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. last — finally
  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