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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. track — a song
  3. bass — the fish
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. shower — rain
  9. mate — a friend
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. mate — to breed
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. track — a path
  15. shower — to wash
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bass — low music
  18. track — to keep track
  19. ball — a dance
  20. mate — a partner
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. game — a match

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