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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mate — to breed
  3. track — a path
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. object — an aim
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. object — a thing
  18. track — a song
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. object — to protest
  21. bat — the animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. racket — for tennis

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