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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — a signal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cell — in biology
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. row — a line
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. lie — to recline
  22. row — to paddle
  23. chair — a leader
  24. lie — an untruth

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