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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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. fan — a supporter
  4. tube — a container
  5. key — the most important part
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wound — an injury
  11. staff — employees
  12. hand — in cards
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. key — for a lock
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. hand — help
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. staff — employees
  21. key — in music
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. hand — part of the 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