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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. date — the fruit
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. last — finally
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. spring — the season
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. perch — the fish
  14. spring — a coil
  15. last — final
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pop — soda
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — to visit
  24. last — to go on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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