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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · ball · face · racket · row · rest · mug · jam

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. row — a line
  3. rest — a break
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. face — to confront
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rest — what's left
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. mug — a face
  12. rest — what's left
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a great time
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. face — part of the head
  18. mug — a cup
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mug — to rob
  22. face — to point toward
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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