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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. clip — a video
  5. craft — a skill
  6. object — an aim
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. object — a thing
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bear — the animal
  11. tube — a container
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. land — to come down
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bear — the animal
  20. land — ground
  21. craft — boats
  22. tube — the underground
  23. sharp — clever
  24. land — a country

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