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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. present — the time now
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. land — to come down
  7. mate — a partner
  8. ball — a dance
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mate — a friend
  12. land — a country
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. kid — to tease
  15. ball — a great time
  16. sharp — clever
  17. land — ground
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. present — there
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. mate — to breed

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