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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rock — a stone
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. shower — rain
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. ball — a dance
  11. snap — to click
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ball — a great time
  16. season — of the year
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. shower — to wash
  19. season — in sport
  20. fork — in a road
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. calf — of the leg

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