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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: arm · bear · cell · fine · pound · toast · kid · calf

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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. toast — the most admired
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. kid — child
  10. cell — a phone
  11. fine — all right
  12. bear — the animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cell — in biology
  20. toast — bread
  21. bear — the animal
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pound — for dogs

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