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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. net — in sport
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mark — a trace
  5. ground — the earth
  6. club — for golf
  7. ground — crushed
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. last — to go on
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. game — a match
  15. club — a group
  16. ball — a great time
  17. mark — a grade
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ground — a position
  20. game — wild animals
  21. last — finally
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. ball — a dance
  24. club — for dancing

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