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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. spring — of water
  4. bat — the animal
  5. club — for dancing
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. spring — the season
  16. staff — a stick
  17. spring — a coil
  18. staff — employees
  19. season — in sport
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. season — of the year
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — a group
  24. staff — employees

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