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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wound — an injury
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. court — of a king
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mug — to rob
  9. court — of law
  10. rest — a break
  11. wound — an injury
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mug — a cup
  14. court — for sport
  15. file — a line of people
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bore — to drill
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bore — to tire
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mug — a face
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. file — a document
  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