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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bear — the animal
  13. capital — money
  14. wound — an injury
  15. hand — help
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bear — the animal
  22. game — wild animals
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. capital — a city

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