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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. court — for sport
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pit — a hole
  9. court — of a king
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. rest — a break
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rock — music
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. court — of law
  23. rock — a stone
  24. pit — in a race

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