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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rule — a law
  6. game — wild animals
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. game — a match
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. rule — government
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. ball — a great time
  17. stem — to come from
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. calf — a young animal

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