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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. kid — to tease
  7. rest — what's left
  8. current — of water
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chest — a box
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. saw — the tool
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. kid — child
  18. chest — of your body
  19. current — happening now
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rest — a break
  23. current — electric
  24. chest — of your body

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