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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. 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. hand — help
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bound — certain
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bound — tied together
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. game — a match
  11. craft — boats
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bound — obliged
  18. 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