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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. firm — a company
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. firm — decided
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stand — to bear
  20. bore — to drill
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. firm — steady
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to tire

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