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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cell — a phone
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mark — a grade
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. chip — to eat
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. chip — for betting
  20. hand — in cards
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. tear — from crying

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