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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 120 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chair — a leader
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chip — to eat
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. content — the amount
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bear — the animal
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. content — happy
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bear — the animal
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cold — not warm
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. calf — a young animal

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