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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 · pop · chest · game · calf · pass · mark · perch

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — a grade
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. chest — a box
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pop — soda
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pass — a permit
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. game — a match
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pop — music
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pop — to visit

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