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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. file — a document
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — a hole
  7. suit — in cards
  8. rest — a break
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. suit — to fit
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. file — a tool
  17. bound — obliged
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. game — a match
  22. bound — certain
  23. suit — clothes
  24. file — a line of people

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