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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. track — a path
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mine — for digging
  7. club — for golf
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. ground — the earth
  10. club — for dancing
  11. track — a song
  12. ground — crushed
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. stand — to bear
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. track — to keep track
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ground — a position
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. club — a group

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