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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. season — in sport
  4. court — for sport
  5. prune — to trim
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. track — a path
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. court — of a king
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. track — a song
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. court — of law
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ball — a dance
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. season — of the year

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