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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. march — the month
  5. court — for sport
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. snap — to click
  10. court — of law
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. roll — a list
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. court — of a king
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ball — a great time

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