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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. can — to be able to
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. cold — an illness
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. can — a tin
  10. wake — a trail
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bore — to tire
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. cold — not warm
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bore — to drill
  21. saw — the tool
  22. shower — rain
  23. deal — to handle
  24. can — a tin

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