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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. pop — music
  3. fine — all right
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pop — soda
  9. bass — low music
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. row — a line
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bass — the fish
  16. row — to paddle
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. suit — in cards
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — high quality
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — to fit

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