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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: nail · calf · toast · mine · cabinet · kid · cell · racket

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mine — for digging
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. toast — bread
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kid — child
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. kid — to tease
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. cell — a phone

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