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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. spring — of water
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bat — the animal
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. spring — the season
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. charge — in control
  16. spring — a coil
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — a leader
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. pitch — completely
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ball — a great time

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