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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rock — music
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bat — the animal
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. kid — child
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rock — a stone
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. racket — a loud noise

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