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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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. charge — electricity
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. ball — a dance
  7. squash — to crush
  8. charge — a price
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. charge — in control
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. field — for sport
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wake — a trail
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. ball — a great 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