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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. board — a committee
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pound — a weight
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. board — to get on
  15. bat — the animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bat — in an idiom

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