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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rush — hurry
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fall — the season
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. fall — to drop
  12. swing — in golf
  13. sharp — clever
  14. fall — to drop
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. swing — music
  18. leaves — lets stay

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