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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bass — the fish
  5. shower — rain
  6. court — for sport
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. swing — in golf
  9. rush — hurry
  10. swing — music
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. court — of law
  13. wake — a trail
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bass — low music
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. swing — to play on
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. court — of a king
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a hat

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