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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. spring — the season
  4. pop — music
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. spell — magic
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. spring — a coil
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — a phone
  12. spring — of water
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mark — a trace
  15. spell — a short time
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. spell — letters
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a line
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. pop — soda
  24. bowl — a football final

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