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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. club — a group
  6. squash — to crush
  7. club — for golf
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bark — to shout
  12. game — wild animals
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pound — a weight
  17. wind — moving air
  18. club — for dancing
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pound — for dogs

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