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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. stand — to bear
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. key — in music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. land — a country
  11. bat — the animal
  12. key — the most important part
  13. land — to come down
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. key — for a lock
  20. kick — in football
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. calf — of the leg

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