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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bat — the animal
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. ball — a dance
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. game — a match
  15. rush — hurry
  16. game — wild animals
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. band — a ring
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. band — a music group
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pass — a permit

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