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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. board — to get on
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. game — a match
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wax — to grow
  7. lean — thin
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. present — a gift
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. kid — child
  14. lean — to bend
  15. present — the time now
  16. board — a committee
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. present — there
  19. snap — to click
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. kid — to tease
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a kind of play

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