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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 116 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. game — wild animals
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. mate — a friend
  8. shower — rain
  9. court — for sport
  10. shower — to wash
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. court — of a king
  13. board — to get on
  14. staff — employees
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mate — a partner
  17. tube — the underground
  18. court — of law
  19. staff — employees
  20. tube — a container
  21. mate — to breed
  22. staff — a stick
  23. game — a match
  24. board — a committee

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