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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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. object — a thing
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. capital — a city
  7. mine — for digging
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — to protest
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. lean — thin
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. mug — a face
  15. capital — money
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. lean — to bend
  18. mug — to rob
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. cold — an illness
  24. mug — a cup

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