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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pop — soda
  4. swing — in golf
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. plane — a tool
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. season — in sport
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. season — of the year
  17. net — in sport
  18. swing — music
  19. bore — to drill
  20. swing — to play on
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. calf — a young animal
  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