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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bore · perch · chest · game · mine · arm · roll · calf

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. game — a match
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bore — to drill
  7. chest — of your body
  8. roll — a list
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mine — for digging
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. bore — to tire
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. chest — of your body
  17. game — wild animals
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. roll — a cake
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. chest — a box

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