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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pit — in a race
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. swing — music
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. root — of a word
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. swing — to play on
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. swing — in golf
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. season — of the year
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. root — the cause
  19. pit — a hole
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wind — moving air
  22. root — of a plant
  23. season — in sport
  24. coach — a trainer

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