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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cell — in biology
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. toast — bread
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. lean — to bend
  18. sharp — clever
  19. lean — thin
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. cell — a phone
  24. dip — to sink

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