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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cap — of ice
  3. clip — for paper
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cap — a hat
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — in control
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. charge — electricity
  12. snap — to click
  13. row — a line
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cap — a lid
  23. clip — a video
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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