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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bound — certain
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wind — moving air
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pop — music
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. roll — a list
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pop — soda
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. calf — of the leg

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