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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 120 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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pit — a hole
  4. game — a match
  5. wind — moving air
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. season — of the year
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. season — in sport
  12. pit — in a race
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. tube — the underground
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. tube — a container
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. tube — in a tire

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