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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. drill — army training
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mug — a face
  6. drill — a practice
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. drill — the tool
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mug — to rob
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. prune — to trim
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mug — a cup
  22. chest — a box
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. prune — to trim

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