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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. court — of law
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mark — a grade
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — to cut
  11. chair — a leader
  12. cold — an illness
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. dip — to sink
  15. court — of a king
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. mark — a trace
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. clip — a video
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. court — for sport
  24. calf — a young animal

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