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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mine — for digging
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. saw — the tool
  9. firm — decided
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. firm — steady
  12. chest — a box
  13. firm — a company
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. chest — of your body
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. court — of law
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. plane — 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