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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. charge — in control
  5. pit — a hole
  6. charge — a price
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pit — in a race
  9. present — the time now
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. present — there
  15. charge — electricity
  16. ground — crushed
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. calf — a young animal

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