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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. charge — electricity
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — in football
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. tear — from crying
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. lean — to bend
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. tear — to rip
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. charge — in control
  16. tear — from crying
  17. charge — a price
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. lean — thin

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