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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 120 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: calf · nail · saw · pop · cell · mark · bound · game

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. pop — music
  7. bound — certain
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bound — tied together
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cell — a phone
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pop — to visit
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. cell — in biology
  21. mark — a grade
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pop — soda
  24. saw — the tool

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