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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. ball — a dance
  3. suit — clothes
  4. pit — a hole
  5. ball — a great time
  6. spring — the season
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. branch — a division
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. suit — in cards
  14. last — finally
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pit — in a race
  17. spring — of water
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. suit — to fit
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young 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