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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. spell — a short time
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bark — to shout
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mine — for digging
  19. spell — magic
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. spell — letters
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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