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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pop — soda
  4. spell — letters
  5. lie — to recline
  6. mark — a trace
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. perch — the fish
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pop — music
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wind — moving air
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. spell — magic

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