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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — a short time
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spring — the season
  6. board — to get on
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. fine — high quality
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. board — a committee
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. deal — to handle
  19. row — to paddle
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fine — all right
  23. spell — magic
  24. fine — a penalty

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