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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. object — an aim
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cell — a phone
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. clip — a video
  12. game — wild animals
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. object — to protest
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. game — a match
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. object — a thing

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