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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. key — in music
  5. snap — to click
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. dip — to sink
  8. key — for a lock
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. key — the most important part
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. prune — to trim
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. prune — the fruit

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