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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 · shower · calf · race · spell · hand · mug · mouse

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. spell — letters
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. spell — magic
  9. mug — a face
  10. race — a contest
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mug — a cup
  13. race — humankind
  14. shower — rain
  15. mug — to rob
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. race — the arms race
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. shower — to wash
  21. ball — a dance
  22. spell — a short time
  23. hand — help
  24. ball — a great time

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