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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. spell — magic
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bound — certain
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. saw — the tool
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. spell — a short time
  15. key — the most important part
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bound — obliged
  19. key — in music
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. key — for a lock
  22. spell — letters
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bound — tied together

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