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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 120 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rule — a law
  3. charge — a price
  4. drill — a practice
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. clip — a video
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. court — of law
  9. drill — the tool
  10. charge — in control
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. clip — for paper
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. lean — to bend
  16. drill — army training
  17. charge — electricity
  18. dip — to sink
  19. court — of a king
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. court — for sport
  22. lean — thin
  23. rule — government
  24. clip — to cut

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