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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bat — the animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. plane — a tool
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. saw — the tool
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pound — a weight
  18. fine — all right
  19. shower — rain
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. kick — in football
  24. shower — to wash

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