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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. key — the most important part
  6. last — final
  7. row — to paddle
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. spell — letters
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mug — a face
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. shower — rain
  19. row — a line
  20. bass — the fish
  21. key — for a lock
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a cup
  24. key — in music

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