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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. spring — of water
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. saw — the tool
  7. foot — a measure
  8. saw — the tool
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. spring — the season
  11. cue — for pool
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. squash — to crush
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. cue — a signal
  22. spring — a coil
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

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