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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. firm — steady
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. firm — a company
  13. root — the cause
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. stand — to bear
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. date — the fruit
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. firm — decided
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — of a plant

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