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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. spell — magic
  3. fall — to drop
  4. net — in sport
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. clip — to cut
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. net — for catching
  12. fall — the season
  13. bank — of a river
  14. net — after costs
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bank — for money
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. clip — for paper
  20. spell — letters
  21. bank — for money
  22. clip — a video
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. spell — a short time

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