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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 120 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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. swing — in golf
  3. hand — help
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. last — finally
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. swing — music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. court — for sport
  14. swing — to play on
  15. foot — a measure
  16. last — final
  17. bear — the animal
  18. hand — in cards
  19. last — to go on
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. foot — the bottom

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