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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. rash — a series
  3. mug — a cup
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. cell — a phone
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mug — a face
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. mine — for digging
  14. cell — in biology
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mug — to rob
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bulb — for light
  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