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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. wound — an injury
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. kick — in football
  13. chest — a box
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wake — a trail
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mine — for digging
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. chest — of your body
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wake — before a funeral

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