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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. drill — army training
  3. ground — the earth
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. kid — to tease
  6. ground — a position
  7. lie — to recline
  8. ground — crushed
  9. deal — to handle
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. march — the month
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. drill — a practice
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. drill — the tool
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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