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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ground — the earth
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. drill — the tool
  10. face — to confront
  11. drill — a practice
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. ground — a position
  15. face — to point toward
  16. season — in sport
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. face — part of the head
  21. ground — crushed
  22. fall — the season
  23. season — of the year
  24. racket — a loud noise

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