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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mug — a face
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. tube — the underground
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. mine — for digging
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. drill — a practice
  17. shower — to wash
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. shower — rain
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a cup

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