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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 116 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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. squash — the sport
  5. clip — a video
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. squash — to crush
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. squash — the vegetable

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