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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. squash — to crush
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. ground — the earth
  10. kid — to tease
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. toast — bread
  16. kid — child
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. ground — crushed
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — all right
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. ground — a position
  24. mine — for digging

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