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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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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: rest · nail · safe · kid · fan · calf · fall · mark

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mark — a grade
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. rest — a break
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. fall — to drop
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. fall — the season
  18. rest — what's left
  19. kid — to tease
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. mark — a trace
  24. kid — child

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