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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bank — of a river
  5. kick — in football
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. fall — the season
  11. present — the time now
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. chair — a leader
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — there
  17. mate — a partner
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. mate — a friend
  20. fall — to drop
  21. craft — boats
  22. cell — in biology
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — a skill

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