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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: racket · lash · calf · ball · land · shower · scale · track

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. shower — to wash
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. land — ground
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. track — to keep track
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. track — a path
  16. scale — size or range
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. track — a song
  19. land — a country
  20. scale — in music
  21. land — to come down
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. calf — of the leg

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