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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bat — the animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rock — music
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. row — to paddle
  21. season — in sport
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. season — of the year
  24. row — a line

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