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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. wind — moving air
  8. snap — to click
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. rock — music
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. band — a ring
  20. rock — a stone
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. band — a music group
  23. game — a match
  24. wind — moving air

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