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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. land — a country
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pass — a permit
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. land — ground
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. land — to come down
  22. bark — to shout
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. calf — of the leg

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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