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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 120 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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. fall — the season
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. spring — a coil
  9. game — wild animals
  10. squash — the sport
  11. spell — a short time
  12. game — a match
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. spell — magic
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. fall — to drop
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. spell — letters
  23. squash — to crush
  24. calf — of the leg

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