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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. charge — electricity
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. last — to go on
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. charge — in control
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wind — moving air
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. last — final
  18. wind — moving air
  19. date — the fruit
  20. last — finally
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. charge — a price
  24. date — on the calendar

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