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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wound — an injury
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. shower — to wash
  10. face — to confront
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cell — in biology
  22. face — part of the head
  23. perch — the fish
  24. shower — rain

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