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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. kid — to tease
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. band — a music group
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. band — a ring
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. kid — child

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