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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. court — for sport
  4. rock — music
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. spring — the season
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. race — humankind
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. court — of law
  13. rock — a stone
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. court — of a king
  19. bat — the animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. race — the arms race
  22. spring — of water
  23. race — a contest
  24. rush — a thrill

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