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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. file — a tool
  5. mug — a face
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. chest — of your body
  9. drill — army training
  10. bound — certain
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mug — to rob
  14. drill — the tool
  15. ground — crushed
  16. toast — bread
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bound — obliged
  19. mug — a cup
  20. file — a document
  21. bound — tied together
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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