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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — a gift
  5. band — a ring
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. stand — to bear
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. present — there
  11. wind — moving air
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. clip — a video
  18. rest — a break
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. clip — for paper
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. band — a music group

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