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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. present — there
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mate — a friend
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. present — a gift
  12. pitch — completely
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. mate — a partner
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fork — in a road
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. fall — to drop
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. present — the time now
  24. mate — to breed

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