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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bass — low music
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. season — of the year
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — a series
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. season — in sport
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mark — a grade

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