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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  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. land — ground
  2. cell — in biology
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stand — to bear
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. date — the fruit
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. cell — a phone
  23. coach — a trainer
  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