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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 120 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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. object — a thing
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pass — a permit
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wake — a trail
  8. squash — to crush
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. ball — a great time
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. field — a subject
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. field — for sport
  20. object — an aim
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. field — farmland
  23. object — to protest
  24. calf — a young animal

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