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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. object — an aim
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. object — to protest
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cue — for pool
  10. perch — the fish
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cue — a hint
  14. capital — a city
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cue — a signal
  19. object — a thing
  20. bat — the animal
  21. tear — to rip
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. capital — money
  24. calf — a young animal

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