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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. cell — in biology
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cell — a phone
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hand — in cards
  7. scale — in music
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rush — hurry
  11. spell — letters
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spell — magic
  14. game — a match
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. spell — a short time
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. hand — help
  21. scale — size or range
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. coach — a trainer

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