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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bass — low music
  4. ground — a position
  5. date — the fruit
  6. tube — a container
  7. ground — crushed
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rest — what's left
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rest — a break
  14. bound — certain
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bound — obliged
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. foot — a measure
  23. ground — the earth
  24. foot — the bottom

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