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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: bat · court · calf · wake · can · pop · date · lie

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. court — of law
  3. can — a tin
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pop — to visit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pop — music
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wake — a trail
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. lie — to recline
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pop — soda
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. can — a tin

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