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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. saw — the tool
  5. vault — a safe
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. march — the month
  9. bore — to drill
  10. march — music
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bore — to tire
  17. saw — the tool
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. deal — to handle
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. march — the month

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