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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. charge — in control
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. charge — a price
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. file — a line of people
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. game — wild animals
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. file — a document
  16. rash — a series
  17. game — a match
  18. file — a tool
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. charge — electricity

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