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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 120 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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. row — to paddle
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wind — moving air
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. row — a line
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. present — there
  21. drill — army training
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. chair — to sit on

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