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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  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. bear — to put up with
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. clip — to cut
  6. scale — size or range
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. clip — a video
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bear — the animal
  13. scale — in music
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chip — for betting
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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