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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cold — not warm
  3. present — there
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. hand — help
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bank — for money
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. present — the time now
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. present — a gift
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cold — an illness
  24. nail — for a hammer

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