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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. spring — the season
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. lie — to recline
  8. chest — of your body
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. squash — the sport
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. chest — of your body
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fork — in a road
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. lie — an untruth

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