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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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. fall — to drop
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pitch — completely
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. march — the month
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. march — the month
  10. fall — to drop
  11. kick — in football
  12. march — music
  13. wake — a trail
  14. stem — to come from
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. fall — the season
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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