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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. mug — a face
  4. chest — of your body
  5. sharp — clever
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. chest — a box
  15. mug — a cup
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mug — to rob
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. chest — of your body
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pop — to visit
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. saw — the tool

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