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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: spell · cap · tear · racket · calf · mug · ball · bat

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cap — of ice
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bat — the animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. spell — letters
  11. ball — a great time
  12. tear — from crying
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. cap — a hat
  18. spell — magic
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cap — a lid
  23. tear — to rip
  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