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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. season — in sport
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mate — a friend
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mate — a partner
  11. face — to point toward
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mate — to breed
  14. face — to confront
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. season — of the year
  18. toast — bread
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. capital — money
  22. face — part of the head
  23. capital — a city
  24. toast — the most admired

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