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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. file — a document
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. file — a line of people
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cell — in biology
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. swing — to play on
  24. file — a tool

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