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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. saw — the tool
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. present — there
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. present — a gift
  11. ball — a great time
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. last — final
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. kick — in football
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. present — the time now
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. ball — a dance
  23. saw — the tool
  24. hand — in cards

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