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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: calf · rule · hand · ground · trunk · firm · fall · bat

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. hand — help
  3. ground — a position
  4. firm — a company
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bat — the animal
  10. firm — decided
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rule — a law
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. firm — steady
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. fall — the season
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. rule — government

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