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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cue — a signal
  11. fall — the season
  12. hand — help
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cue — for pool
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. fall — to drop
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fall — to drop
  24. racket — for tennis

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