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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. hand — help
  5. squash — the sport
  6. tube — a container
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. squash — to crush
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wind — moving air
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wind — moving air
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. season — in sport
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. season — of the year
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. tube — the underground
  23. chair — a leader
  24. tube — in a tire

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