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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 · content · snap · ball · calf · club · shower · hide

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. shower — to wash
  3. ball — a great time
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. content — the amount
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. club — for dancing
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. snap — to click
  11. club — a group
  12. spell — letters
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. ball — a dance
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. spell — a short time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. content — happy
  22. shower — rain
  23. spell — magic
  24. hide — to keep secret

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