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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bear — the animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. squash — to crush
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. squash — the sport
  13. last — finally
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bear — the animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. last — to go on
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. last — final
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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