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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. stand — to bear
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. charge — a price
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. shower — rain
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — electricity
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fall — the season
  19. bat — the animal
  20. mate — a partner
  21. fork — in a road
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. mate — a friend
  24. stand — on your feet

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