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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ground — a position
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ball — a dance
  5. perch — the fish
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. wax — to grow
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. court — of law
  13. ground — crushed
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lie — to recline
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ball — a great time
  22. cell — in biology
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cell — a phone

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