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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 120 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  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. cell — in a prison
  2. mate — a friend
  3. stand — to bear
  4. cell — a phone
  5. mate — to breed
  6. rest — what's left
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mate — a partner
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fall — the season
  13. rest — a break
  14. cell — in biology
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. rest — what's left
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fall — to drop
  23. racket — for tennis
  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