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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. chest — a box
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. last — final
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. kid — to tease
  14. chest — of your body
  15. craft — boats
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — child
  18. last — to go on
  19. tube — a container
  20. last — finally
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. chest — of your body

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