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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. toast — bread
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ball — a great time
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. track — a song
  10. charge — a price
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. net — in sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. charge — electricity
  15. track — a path
  16. charge — in control
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. deal — to handle
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. ball — a dance
  24. deal — an agreement

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