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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. field — farmland
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. ball — a dance
  7. field — for sport
  8. scale — in music
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pop — to visit
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pop — soda
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. clip — a video
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. field — a subject
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pop — music

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