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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chip — to eat
  3. spring — a coil
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. rock — music
  6. field — for sport
  7. tube — the underground
  8. fall — the season
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. field — a subject
  11. fall — to drop
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. chip — for betting
  14. cue — a signal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. rock — a stone
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cue — for pool
  22. field — farmland
  23. tube — a container
  24. cue — a hint

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