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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chip — for betting
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. firm — decided
  7. chip — to eat
  8. court — for sport
  9. firm — steady
  10. court — of a king
  11. firm — a company
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. court — of law
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pitcher — a jug

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