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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. land — to come down
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bass — low music
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. season — of the year
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. season — in sport
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. land — a country
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bass — the fish
  19. land — ground
  20. wax — to grow
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bat — the animal

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