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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. charge — electricity
  6. file — a line of people
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. charge — a price
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. file — a document
  13. tube — a container
  14. charge — in control
  15. bat — the animal
  16. rush — hurry
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. tube — the underground
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. file — a tool

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