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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 124 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. branch — a division
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. kid — child
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bound — certain
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pitch — completely
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bound — obliged
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bound — tied together

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