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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. shower — to wash
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. season — of the year
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mine — for digging
  17. shower — rain
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. season — in sport
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. tube — a container
  24. toast — bread

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