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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. lean — thin
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. chair — a leader
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cold — not warm
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. dip — to sink
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — a horse colour

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