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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wound — an injury
  9. net — in sport
  10. dip — to sink
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wound — an injury
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cell — in biology
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. hand — help
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. wake — before a funeral

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