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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. tube — the underground
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bound — certain
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. tube — a container
  15. season — in sport
  16. bound — tied together
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. fine — high quality
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. season — of the year
  24. bound — obliged

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