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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · object · deal · calf · chest · hide

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. deal — to handle
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. present — a gift
  8. object — to protest
  9. chest — of your body
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. present — there
  13. chest — a box
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — an aim
  16. present — the time now
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg

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