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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cell — a phone
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. file — a tool
  11. cell — in biology
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spell — a short time
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a document
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. spell — magic
  22. roll — a list
  23. spell — letters
  24. roll — a cake

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