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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — to come down
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. land — ground
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mark — a trace
  12. craft — boats
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. season — in sport
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. land — a country
  21. craft — a skill
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. mark — a grade

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