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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — in control
  4. present — the time now
  5. bear — the animal
  6. charge — a price
  7. game — a match
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. wound — an injury
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wind — moving air
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. present — there
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wound — an injury
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. game — wild animals
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. present — a gift

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