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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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. current — of water
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. clip — for paper
  8. can — a tin
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. spell — a short time
  12. can — a tin
  13. spell — letters
  14. capital — a city
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. can — to be able to
  17. current — happening now
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. current — electric
  20. hand — in cards
  21. spell — magic
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. clip — a video

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