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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rest — what's left
  5. saw — the tool
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rest — a break
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. staff — employees
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. staff — employees
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rest — what's left
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bat — the animal
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pitcher — a jug

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