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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. track — to keep track
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chip — for betting
  7. mug — to rob
  8. track — a song
  9. land — to come down
  10. fall — to drop
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. land — a country
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. track — a path
  17. mug — a cup
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. land — ground
  22. fall — the season
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mug — a face

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