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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. object — an aim
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. object — a thing
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. object — to protest
  8. stand — to bear
  9. lie — to recline
  10. wake — a trail
  11. field — farmland
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bat — the animal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. field — a subject
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. field — for sport
  24. calf — a young animal

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