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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mug — to rob
  5. key — for a lock
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. key — in music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bank — for money
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bank — of a river
  16. chest — of your body
  17. key — the most important part
  18. drill — army training
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bank — for money
  23. chest — a box
  24. pitcher — in 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