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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. last — final
  6. chair — a leader
  7. toast — bread
  8. craft — a skill
  9. craft — boats
  10. lean — to bend
  11. clip — for paper
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. last — finally
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. clip — a video
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. lean — thin
  23. last — to go on
  24. rush — hurry

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