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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. hand — help
  5. file — a line of people
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. file — a document
  8. ground — the earth
  9. hand — in cards
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. mug — a cup
  13. present — the time now
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. ground — crushed
  18. mug — to rob
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. present — a gift
  22. ground — a position
  23. mug — a face
  24. file — a tool

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