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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. suit — in cards
  6. net — for catching
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. net — after costs
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. suit — clothes
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. pop — to visit
  19. row — a line
  20. net — in sport
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. suit — to fit

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