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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bark — to shout
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. kick — in football
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — high quality
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. mine — an explosive

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