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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 116 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. kick — in football
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. perch — the fish
  10. row — to paddle
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pitcher — a jug

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