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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 120 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. kid — child
  3. season — in sport
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cell — in biology
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cell — a phone
  12. lean — to bend
  13. row — to paddle
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. lean — thin
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. saw — the tool
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. season — of the year

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