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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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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: bay · calf · club · lean · racket · ball · wind · mark

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. club — for dancing
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. lean — to bend
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. ball — a great time
  16. lean — thin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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