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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. last — to go on
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bass — the fish
  16. last — finally
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. last — final
  24. plane — a tool

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