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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fine — high quality
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bank — for money
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bank — for money
  15. fine — all right
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bank — of a river
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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