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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cell — a phone
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pit — in a race
  11. rush — hurry
  12. present — the time now
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. present — there
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. present — a gift
  19. chair — a leader
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. cell — in biology
  24. calf — a young animal

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