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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. chip — for betting
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wound — an injury
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. kid — child
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. row — to paddle
  12. prune — to trim
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. kid — to tease
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. row — a line
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. prune — to trim
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. chip — to eat

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