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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rest — what's left
  5. land — ground
  6. bore — to drill
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. ground — crushed
  9. hand — help
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. rest — what's left
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. hand — in cards
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. land — a country
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. land — to come down
  20. bore — to tire
  21. ground — a position
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rest — a break
  24. rush — a thrill

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