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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. squash — to crush
  7. staff — employees
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. staff — employees
  16. fall — the season
  17. chest — a box
  18. fine — all right
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. staff — a stick
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. squash — the vegetable

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