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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. staff — employees
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. track — a song
  8. file — a document
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. file — a line of people
  12. staff — employees
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mug — to rob
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. file — a tool

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