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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 120 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 ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. object — to protest
  7. content — the amount
  8. cue — a hint
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. object — a thing
  12. cue — for pool
  13. content — happy
  14. kid — to tease
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bat — the animal
  18. object — an aim
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. cue — a signal
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. nail — on a finger

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