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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bound — certain
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. season — of the year
  9. bound — obliged
  10. cell — a phone
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. chip — for betting
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. season — in sport
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. ball — a dance
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. chip — to eat

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