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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 120 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. present — there
  3. sharp — clever
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. present — the time now
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. rock — music
  13. mug — a cup
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. present — a gift
  19. kid — child
  20. court — of a king
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mug — to rob
  24. rock — a stone

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