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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — the most important part
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. row — a line
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. row — to paddle
  23. fine — all right
  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