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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: tear · craft · pit · calf · chest · bat · suit · bulb

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bat — the animal
  4. suit — to fit
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pit — a hole
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. tear — to rip
  15. craft — boats
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bulb — for light
  19. suit — clothes
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pit — in a race
  23. craft — a skill
  24. tear — from crying

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