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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pop — soda
  4. face — part of the head
  5. race — humankind
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pop — music
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. race — a contest
  10. face — to point toward
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. face — to confront
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mate — a friend
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mate — a partner
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. clip — for paper
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. clip — a video
  21. race — the arms race
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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