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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rest — what's left
  3. kick — in football
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. track — a song
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. track — to keep track
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. ground — a position
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. hand — in cards
  13. land — a country
  14. hand — help
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. land — ground
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. land — to come down
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rest — a break
  22. track — a path
  23. ground — the earth
  24. hand — part of the 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