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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. season — in sport
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. swing — music
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spell — a short time
  8. perch — the fish
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spell — magic
  11. pop — music
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. roll — a cake
  14. season — of the year
  15. pop — to visit
  16. roll — a list
  17. spring — the season
  18. swing — to play on
  19. spell — letters
  20. spring — of water
  21. swing — in golf
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. calf — a young animal

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