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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. key — for a lock
  7. chair — a leader
  8. perch — the fish
  9. cap — a hat
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. key — the most important part
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cap — a lid
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. lie — to recline
  21. sharp — clever
  22. key — in music
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cap — of ice

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