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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cue — a hint
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. squash — the sport
  7. pit — a hole
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bat — the animal
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — crushed
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. squash — to crush
  16. pit — in a race
  17. cue — for pool
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. hide — to keep secret

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