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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. wound — an injury
  11. suit — to fit
  12. suit — clothes
  13. court — for sport
  14. suit — in cards
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. court — of a king
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. court — of law
  24. calf — of the leg

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