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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bear — the animal
  6. perch — the fish
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. court — of a king
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. club — for golf
  20. court — for sport
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. club — a group
  23. face — part of the head
  24. court — of law

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