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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. land — to come down
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. court — of law
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pound — a weight
  8. rock — a stone
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rock — music
  11. court — for sport
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — a trail
  15. court — of a king
  16. face — to confront
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. rock — to move gently

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