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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: suit · chest · can · pitcher · last · bat · calf · bore

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. can — a tin
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. chest — a box
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. suit — clothes
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. suit — in cards
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bat — the animal
  15. last — to go on
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. last — final
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. suit — to fit
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bore — to drill

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