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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. present — the time now
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. chip — to eat
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — there
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chip — for betting
  16. land — to come down
  17. tear — to rip
  18. ground — a position
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. ground — crushed
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. ground — the earth
  24. tear — from crying

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