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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. object — a thing
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. game — a match
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. object — an aim
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. row — to paddle
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pit — in a race
  24. object — to protest

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