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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cap — a lid
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. perch — the fish
  6. wound — an injury
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pop — music
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pop — to visit
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pop — soda
  20. cap — a hat
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. game — a match
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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