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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rock — music
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — a trace
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. court — of a king
  9. hand — help
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rock — a stone
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. court — of law
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. court — for sport

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