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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wake — a trail
  4. ball — a great time
  5. object — an aim
  6. fine — all right
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. game — a match
  12. ball — a dance
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. object — a thing
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fine — high quality
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. game — wild animals

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