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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 116 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
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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: plane · staff · row · calf · mug · cell · ground · ball

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. row — a line
  4. ground — a position
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. staff — employees
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — a phone
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. plane — a tool
  13. mug — a face
  14. ground — crushed
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cell — in biology
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. mug — to rob
  19. ball — a great time
  20. mug — a cup
  21. staff — employees
  22. row — to paddle
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. ground — the earth

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