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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — soda
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. mate — a partner
  9. date — the fruit
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. tear — from crying
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. perch — the fish
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pop — music
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. dip — to sink
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — to breed

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