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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. spell — letters
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pop — soda
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stand — to bear
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. game — a match
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. mark — a grade
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pop — music
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spell — magic
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. game — wild animals
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mark — a trace

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