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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mark — a grade
  4. toast — bread
  5. file — a tool
  6. mark — a trace
  7. file — a line of people
  8. land — a country
  9. wind — moving air
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. land — to come down
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. file — a document
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. land — ground
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wind — moving air

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