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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. row — to paddle
  5. mark — a grade
  6. game — a match
  7. mark — a trace
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. present — a gift
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. spell — magic
  14. stock — goods
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. row — a line
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stock — shares
  19. present — the time now
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. present — there
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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