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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. capital — money
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. court — of a king
  7. hand — help
  8. bark — to shout
  9. squash — the sport
  10. court — for sport
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rest — a break
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. chest — of your body
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. squash — to crush
  19. court — of law
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chest — a box
  22. capital — a city
  23. chest — of your body
  24. capital — a big letter

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