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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. season — of the year
  9. key — in music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. key — the most important part
  12. season — in sport
  13. key — for a lock
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. season — to add flavour

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