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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 116 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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. club — a group
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. bass — low music
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. field — a subject
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — to wash
  16. key — the most important part
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. game — wild animals
  19. club — for dancing
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bass — the fish
  24. club — for golf

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