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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: calf · bat · swing · game · object · foot · staff · spell

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. object — to protest
  2. spell — letters
  3. staff — employees
  4. bat — the animal
  5. staff — employees
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. object — an aim
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. game — wild animals
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. staff — a stick
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. object — a thing
  16. game — a match
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — a measure
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. swing — in golf
  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