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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mine — for digging
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. present — there
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spell — letters
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. present — a gift
  18. foot — a measure
  19. spell — a short time
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. present — the time now
  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