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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 120 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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mug — a cup
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. spring — of water
  8. key — in music
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. swing — music
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. key — for a lock
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. swing — in golf
  18. perch — the fish
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. mug — a face
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mug — to rob
  24. key — the most important part

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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