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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. land — ground
  5. tear — from crying
  6. can — a tin
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. can — to be able to
  9. land — a country
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. toast — bread
  12. land — to come down
  13. spell — letters
  14. tear — to rip
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. can — a tin
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. kick — in football

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