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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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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: bay · hand · trunk · present · chest · safe · calf · chair

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. chair — a leader
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. hand — help
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. chest — a box
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. present — a gift
  16. chest — of your body
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hand — in cards
  19. present — there
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. present — the time now
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. calf — a young animal

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