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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. chest — a box
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pass — a permit
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. spell — letters
  24. mark — a trace

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