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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. game — a match
  3. perch — the fish
  4. club — for dancing
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. club — for golf
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mate — a partner
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. mate — to breed
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mate — a friend
  21. rest — what's left
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. club — a group

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