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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. mate — a friend
  5. fall — to drop
  6. tear — from crying
  7. squash — to crush
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mate — a partner
  11. court — of law
  12. suit — to fit
  13. tear — to rip
  14. court — of a king
  15. squash — the sport
  16. court — for sport
  17. suit — in cards
  18. fall — to drop
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — magic
  21. mate — to breed
  22. suit — clothes
  23. fall — the season
  24. calf — a young animal

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