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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. spring — a coil
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. scale — in music
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. spring — of water
  7. mate — a partner
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. kid — child
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mate — to breed
  12. cell — a phone
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. kid — to tease
  15. spring — the season
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mate — a friend
  18. calf — a young animal

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