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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. clip — to cut
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. net — for catching
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. net — in sport
  11. mug — a face
  12. rash — hasty
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rash — a series
  16. mug — a cup
  17. clip — for paper
  18. net — after costs
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. clip — a video
  24. leaves — lets stay

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