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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. spring — the season
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. mine — for digging
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stand — to bear
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. game — wild animals
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. saw — the 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