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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  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. bear — the animal
  3. cold — not warm
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. spell — letters
  11. mate — a friend
  12. spell — a short time
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cell — a phone
  16. spell — magic
  17. mate — a partner
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mate — to breed
  20. cold — an illness
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. dip — to dunk
  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