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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. present — there
  4. staff — employees
  5. fork — in a road
  6. present — the time now
  7. staff — a stick
  8. hand — help
  9. kid — to tease
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. staff — employees
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. season — in sport
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. season — of the year
  19. fall — the season
  20. hand — in cards
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. kid — child

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