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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. staff — employees
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pitch — completely
  5. hand — help
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. row — a line
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fall — to drop
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. perch — the fish
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. staff — a stick
  19. fall — the season
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. staff — employees
  24. stand — to bear

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