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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. spell — a short time
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. season — in sport
  13. pit — in a race
  14. season — of the year
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. plane — a tool
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pound — a weight
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — a hole

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