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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. foot — a measure
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. land — a country
  7. land — ground
  8. ball — a dance
  9. land — to come down
  10. roll — a list
  11. spring — of water
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. spring — the season
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bat — the animal
  22. chair — a leader
  23. roll — a cake
  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