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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. ball — a dance
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. march — music
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bass — the fish
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. march — the month
  12. face — to point toward
  13. spring — the season
  14. face — to confront
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bass — low music
  18. march — the month
  19. spring — of water
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — a contest
  24. spring — a coil

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