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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. hand — help
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. march — the month
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. chest — of your body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. chest — of your body
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chest — a box
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. march — music
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. march — the month
  24. calf — a young animal

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