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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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. pound — a weight
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rash — hasty
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. chip — for betting
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. chip — to eat
  21. rash — a series
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. chip — in a computer
  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