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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. object — to protest
  4. last — final
  5. object — a thing
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. last — to go on
  8. drill — the tool
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. last — finally
  13. object — an aim
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. spring — a coil
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. spring — the season
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. spring — of water
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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