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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. chest — of your body
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. scale — in music
  10. bore — to tire
  11. chest — of your body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bat — the animal
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — a grade
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. chest — a box
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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