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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pop — music
  3. spell — letters
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. court — of a king
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. pop — soda
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spell — magic
  23. pop — to visit
  24. spell — a short time

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