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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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. object — to protest
  3. rule — a law
  4. rash — a series
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. fall — to drop
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. march — the month
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. fall — the season
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rule — government
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rash — hasty
  17. object — a thing
  18. march — the month
  19. object — an aim
  20. field — for sport
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. march — music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rule — to rule out

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