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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rock — music
  3. pitch — completely
  4. rock — a stone
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spell — a short time
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. spell — magic
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. game — wild animals
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chip — to eat
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. game — a match
  24. rock — to move gently

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