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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. band — a music group
  4. rash — a series
  5. spring — of water
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. shower — to wash
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. shower — rain
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fine — all right
  13. band — a ring
  14. spring — the season
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. spring — a coil
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. fine — high quality
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. ball — a great time
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. ball — a dance

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