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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. court — of a king
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. roll — a list
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. court — for sport
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. spring — the season
  12. wake — a trail
  13. kick — in football
  14. bass — low music
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spring — a coil
  17. roll — a cake
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. spring — of water
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. court — of law

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