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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pit — in a race
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wax — to grow
  18. key — for a lock
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pit — a hole
  22. last — final
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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