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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pitch — completely
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. net — in sport
  9. present — there
  10. bore — to tire
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. present — the time now
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fall — the season
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. net — for catching
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. fall — to drop
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. net — after costs
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bore — to drill

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