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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 120 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. vault — a safe
  4. clip — to cut
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. chip — to eat
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. clip — a video
  16. chip — for betting
  17. court — for sport
  18. snap — to click
  19. kid — child
  20. court — of law
  21. clip — for paper
  22. court — of a king
  23. kid — to tease
  24. leaves — of a tree

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