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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pop — soda
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pop — music
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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