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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rest — what's left
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. date — the fruit
  6. scale — size or range
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. scale — in music
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rest — a break
  12. foot — a measure
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — to push
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rest — what's left
  17. press — a publisher
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. perch — the fish
  24. scale — for weighing

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