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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. club — for golf
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pop — music
  6. club — for dancing
  7. pop — soda
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. scale — size or range
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. deal — to handle
  13. club — a group
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. scale — in music
  21. spell — magic
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. scale — for weighing

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