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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. land — to come down
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. season — of the year
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fall — to drop
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. tube — the underground
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fall — to drop
  17. land — ground
  18. fall — the season
  19. land — a country
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. tube — a container

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