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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — for golf
  9. wound — an injury
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. land — to come down
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. land — a country
  18. row — a line
  19. land — ground
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pass — a permit
  24. club — a group

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