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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rock — music
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. rock — a stone
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. capital — money
  10. pop — music
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pop — to visit
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. pop — soda
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. deal — to handle
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bat — the animal

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