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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lean — thin
  4. file — a document
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. file — a tool
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. track — a path
  9. kid — to tease
  10. track — a song
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rule — government
  14. file — a line of people
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. track — to keep track
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. kid — child
  20. rule — a law
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. lean — to bend
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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