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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fall — to drop
  7. roll — a cake
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. chair — a leader
  10. fall — to drop
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. roll — a list
  14. season — of the year
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. season — in sport
  21. tube — a container
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. fall — the season

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