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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. hand — help
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bound — tied together
  5. chest — a box
  6. cue — for pool
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bound — certain
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cue — a signal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bank — for money
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bound — obliged
  18. degree — from a university
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. season — in sport
  22. cue — a hint
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bank — for money

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