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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 116 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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. key — the most important part
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. object — to protest
  6. net — in sport
  7. key — for a lock
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pop — to visit
  10. key — in music
  11. pop — soda
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. net — for catching
  14. object — a thing
  15. net — after costs
  16. ball — a dance
  17. object — an aim
  18. last — to go on
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. last — finally
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pop — music
  23. ball — a great time
  24. last — final

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