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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. suit — clothes
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rash — a series
  6. spell — magic
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. spell — letters
  10. file — a document
  11. suit — in cards
  12. pound — a weight
  13. mine — for digging
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bore — to tire
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. suit — to fit
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. file — a line of people
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. file — a tool
  24. rash — hasty

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