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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. row — a line
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. march — music
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. march — the month
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. pitch — completely
  11. hand — in cards
  12. field — a subject
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. vault — a safe
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. hand — help
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. field — for sport
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. march — the month
  22. field — farmland
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pitch — a sports field

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