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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. chest — of your body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. file — a document
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stand — to bear
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. track — a song
  17. chest — of your body
  18. file — a line of people
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. track — to keep track
  21. chest — a box
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. track — a path
  24. file — a tool

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