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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. shower — rain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. track — a song
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bound — certain
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. foot — a measure
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. track — to keep track
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bound — obliged
  19. game — a match
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. track — a path
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. foot — the bottom

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