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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 120 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. chest — of your body
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. chest — a box
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bear — the animal
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. craft — boats
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. craft — a skill
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. calf — of the leg

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