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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. drill — the tool
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pound — a weight
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tear — from crying
  20. drill — army training
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. drill — a practice
  24. calf — of the leg

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