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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pop — soda
  5. spell — a short time
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. spell — letters
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. swing — in golf
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pop — to visit
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pop — music
  16. cold — an illness
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. saw — the tool
  19. swing — to play on
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. spell — magic
  22. cold — not warm
  23. swing — music
  24. cold — the Cold War

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