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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cell — a phone
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. pit — a hole
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. track — a song
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. net — in sport
  21. cell — in biology
  22. pit — in a race
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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