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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — a face
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. rule — a law
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rule — government
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. lean — thin
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. lean — to bend
  20. rash — a series
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ground — a position

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