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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. prune — to trim
  3. land — a country
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wake — a trail
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. land — ground
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. prune — to trim
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. chest — a box
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. land — to come down
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. kid — child
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. key — the most important part

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