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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. mine — for digging
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. row — a line
  7. bear — the animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. season — of the year
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. season — in sport
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. deal — to handle
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bear — the animal
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mine — an explosive

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