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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. hand — help
  8. march — the month
  9. deal — to handle
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ball — a dance
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. tube — the underground
  17. scale — in music
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. scale — size or range
  21. tube — a container
  22. hand — in cards
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. ball — a great time

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