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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. clip — a video
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. lean — thin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bat — the animal
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pop — music
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bore — to tire
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bore — to drill
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — soda
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. clip — for paper
  24. lean — to bend

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