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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mate — to breed
  6. swing — in golf
  7. pop — soda
  8. swing — music
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pop — music
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. wound — an injury
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. fork — in a road
  21. swing — to play on
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bat — for baseball

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