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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. firm — a company
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. spell — a short time
  7. court — of a king
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. firm — decided
  12. spell — magic
  13. scale — in music
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wind — moving air
  17. court — for sport
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. court — of law
  20. firm — steady
  21. spell — letters
  22. dip — to sink
  23. scale — size or range
  24. calf — of the leg

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