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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. saw — the tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. band — a music group
  8. ball — a dance
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. row — a line
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. row — to paddle
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. band — a ring

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