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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. key — for a lock
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. key — in music
  8. chest — a box
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. lean — to bend
  15. chest — of your body
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. cell — a phone
  20. spell — magic
  21. lean — thin
  22. key — the most important part
  23. track — a song
  24. cell — in biology

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