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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bear — the animal
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bore — to drill
  10. pop — to visit
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. shower — rain
  16. bore — to tire
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pop — music
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pop — soda
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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