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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pop — music
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wind — moving air
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wind — moving air
  14. band — a music group
  15. pop — to visit
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pop — soda
  24. band — a ring

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