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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. key — the most important part
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. capital — a city
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mine — for digging
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. capital — money
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cap — of ice
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mine — belonging to me

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