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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. clip — to cut
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. object — to protest
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. object — an aim
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. hand — help
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. clip — a video
  17. hand — in cards
  18. object — a thing

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