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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. ball — a great time
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. root — of a word
  7. foot — a measure
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. date — the fruit
  20. root — the cause
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. root — of a plant

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