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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. bear — the animal
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. field — a subject
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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