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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. mug — to rob
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chest — a box
  6. cue — for pool
  7. mug — a face
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mine — for digging
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cue — a hint
  15. spring — the season
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — a friend
  19. cue — a signal
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mug — a cup

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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