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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bore — to drill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. swing — in golf
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. object — an aim
  9. game — a match
  10. swing — to play on
  11. object — a thing
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. game — wild animals
  15. swing — music
  16. bore — to tire
  17. object — to protest
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. arm — a part of something

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