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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. race — the arms race
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. perch — the fish
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. hand — in cards
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. race — humankind
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. tube — a container
  17. bear — the animal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. race — a contest
  20. hand — help
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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