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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rule — government
  3. fall — the season
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — completely
  6. last — final
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. rule — a law
  14. degree — temperature
  15. club — for dancing
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. degree — an amount
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — a group
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. lie — to recline
  23. degree — from a university
  24. calf — of the leg

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