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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. drill — a practice
  6. hand — help
  7. chest — a box
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. drill — the tool
  12. net — in sport
  13. drill — army training
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fan — a supporter
  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