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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ball — a dance
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. ball — a great time
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. sharp — clever
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chest — of your body
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. chest — a box
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ground — a position
  24. bulb — for light

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