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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. game — a match
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. file — a tool
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bark — to shout
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. shower — rain
  24. calf — a young animal

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