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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: date · calf · rash · ball · game · scale · wind · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rash — a series
  5. scale — in music
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. date — the fruit
  8. present — the time now
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wind — moving air
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. game — a match
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. present — a gift
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. scale — size or range
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. ball — a great time
  24. game — wild animals

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