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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. lean — thin
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. pop — music
  9. lean — to bend
  10. club — for golf
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. club — a group
  13. drill — the tool
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pop — soda
  16. drill — army training
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. club — for dancing
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pop — to visit
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pass — to spend 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