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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. hand — help
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. cue — for pool
  11. can — to be able to
  12. chest — of your body
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. ground — the earth
  17. cue — a hint
  18. can — a tin
  19. chest — a box
  20. can — a tin
  21. cue — a signal
  22. ground — a position
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. chest — of your body

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