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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wound — an injury
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wound — an injury
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bat — the animal
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rule — a law
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rule — government
  18. perch — the fish
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. kick — in football
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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