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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cue — a hint
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cue — a signal
  9. ground — crushed
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. object — an aim
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. ground — the earth
  16. track — a path
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ground — a position
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. object — a thing
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cue — for pool

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