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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — a cup
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. staff — employees
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. band — a ring
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. staff — a stick
  19. band — a music group
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — to visit
  22. staff — employees
  23. pop — music
  24. mug — to rob

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