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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. stand — to bear
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. field — farmland
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. field — for sport
  21. hand — help
  22. field — a subject
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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