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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. capital — money
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. capital — a city
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. content — the amount
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. content — happy
  24. lash — to lash out

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