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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. field — farmland
  10. bulb — for light
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cold — an illness
  14. saw — the tool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. bulb — for light
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. kick — in football

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