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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bound — tied together
  3. perch — the fish
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. clip — to cut
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. clip — for paper
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. clip — a video
  15. rule — a law
  16. bound — certain
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rule — government
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. kick — in football

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