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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 116 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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. file — a document
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. file — a tool
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. file — a line of people
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. tear — to rip
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. hand — help
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. stand — to bear
  20. tear — from crying
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. tear — from crying
  24. calf — of the leg

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