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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mate — a friend
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. board — to get on
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. board — a committee
  12. tube — the underground
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. tube — a container
  19. mate — to breed
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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