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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. season — in sport
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. can — a tin
  11. club — a group
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. season — of the year
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. club — for golf
  21. bark — to shout
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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