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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. staff — a stick
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. game — wild animals
  11. current — happening now
  12. staff — employees
  13. game — a match
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. staff — employees
  17. fall — to drop
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bore — to drill
  22. fall — to drop
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fall — the season

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