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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pop — music
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bear — the animal
  8. court — for sport
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. court — of a king
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. spell — a short time
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pop — soda
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. court — of law
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. spell — letters
  22. bear — the animal
  23. hand — help
  24. hide — animal skin

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