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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 116 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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. swing — to play on
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bat — the animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. hand — help
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. charge — in control
  13. swing — in golf
  14. tear — to rip
  15. swing — music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. charge — a price
  21. tear — from crying
  22. charge — electricity
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — in a race

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