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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. present — the time now
  3. wound — an injury
  4. court — of a king
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. present — there
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. present — a gift
  15. court — for sport
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rash — a series
  19. spring — of water
  20. court — of law
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. ball — a great time

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