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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. net — in sport
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. season — of the year
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. season — in sport
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. net — for catching
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cue — a signal
  21. net — after costs
  22. cue — a hint
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. season — to add flavour

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