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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chest — a box
  4. board — to get on
  5. cue — a signal
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. board — a committee
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. date — the fruit
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pitch — completely
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a hint
  24. chest — of your body

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