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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: roll · mark · shower · key · lash · calf · game · mine

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. game — a match
  4. key — the most important part
  5. mark — a trace
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. roll — a list
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. key — in music
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mark — a grade
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. mine — for digging
  23. key — for a lock
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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