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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: ball · mine · arm · suit · pop · calf · lash · leaves

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pop — music
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pop — soda
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pop — to visit
  12. ball — a great time
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. suit — clothes
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — in cards
  24. leaves — to go away

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