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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pop — music
  4. net — after costs
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pop — soda
  8. charge — in control
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. charge — electricity
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. net — in sport
  16. mine — for digging
  17. net — for catching
  18. pop — to visit
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. cold — an illness
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. charge — a price
  24. wax — in the ear

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