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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. toast — bread
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. clip — for paper
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cell — a phone
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. clip — a video
  16. pitch — completely
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. craft — a skill
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. craft — boats
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. cell — in biology

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