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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. cold — an illness
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pit — in a race
  12. can — a tin
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. pit — a hole
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. plane — a tool
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. cold — not warm
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. plane — an aircraft

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