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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rush — hurry
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bore — to tire
  8. game — a match
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bore — to drill
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wind — moving air
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. hide — to keep secret

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