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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bear — the animal
  6. track — a song
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bear — the animal
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. cold — not warm
  17. track — to keep track
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. track — a path
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. kid — child
  22. squash — the sport
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. chair — to sit on

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