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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. field — a subject
  4. cue — for pool
  5. file — a tool
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cue — a signal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. tube — the underground
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. file — a document
  17. field — for sport
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. cue — a hint
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. ball — a dance
  22. tube — a container
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. field — farmland

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