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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pit — in a race
  8. spring — of water
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. spring — the season
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. tube — a container
  18. hide — animal skin

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