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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ball — a dance
  3. mug — a face
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. perch — the fish
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. cold — an illness
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. cold — not warm
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. ball — a great time
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pitcher — a jug

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