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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. firm — steady
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. fall — to drop
  7. game — a match
  8. firm — decided
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. firm — a company
  13. rest — a break
  14. fall — the season
  15. tear — from crying
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. tear — to rip
  18. game — wild animals
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fall — to drop
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. calf — a young 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