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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. object — a thing
  11. cell — a phone
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. object — to protest
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. object — an aim
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. chair — a leader
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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