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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bear — the animal
  3. chest — a box
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bound — tied together
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bound — obliged
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. chest — of your body
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bass — the fish
  16. row — to paddle
  17. court — of law
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bound — certain
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low music

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