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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. land — to come down
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. land — ground
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. date — the fruit
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. land — a country
  14. roll — a list
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. saw — the tool
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. roll — a cake
  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