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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. season — of the year
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. key — the most important part
  10. perch — the fish
  11. cold — not warm
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. season — in sport
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. key — for a lock
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. key — in music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. cold — an illness
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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