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

Word bank: bear · cue · foot · kick · chest · calf · wake · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. chest — a box
  4. bear — the animal
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cue — a signal
  10. land — to come down
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. kick — in football
  14. land — a country
  15. bear — the animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. foot — a measure
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — for pool

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