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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fine — high quality
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. season — of the year
  5. board — a committee
  6. file — a document
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. file — a tool
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. court — for sport
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. court — of law
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. season — in sport
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. board — to get on
  21. file — a line of people
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. court — of a king
  24. fine — all right

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