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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. court — of law
  3. last — to go on
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. kick — in football
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. court — for sport
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fall — to drop
  11. last — finally
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. court — of a king
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — music
  17. last — final
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. swing — to play on
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. safe — a strongbox

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