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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. saw — the tool
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. chest — a box
  7. saw — the tool
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bank — for money
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. 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