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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 116 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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. kid — child
  6. bank — of a river
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. bound — obliged
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bound — certain
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. saw — the tool
  20. court — of law
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bank — for money
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bank — for money

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