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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. tear — to rip
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. cell — a phone
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cell — in biology
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. key — in music
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. hand — in cards
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — the most important part
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. hand — help
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pound — a weight
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. hand — part of the body

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