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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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 professorship
  3. bank — for money
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. game — a match
  6. mug — a cup
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. game — wild animals
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bank — for money
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bank — of a river
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. mug — to rob
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. chair — a leader
  23. mug — a face
  24. tear — from crying

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