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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 who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. net — in sport
  4. fall — the season
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mate — to breed
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. track — a song
  9. fall — to drop
  10. track — a path
  11. mate — a partner
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. net — for catching
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. track — to keep track
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. pitch — completely
  20. net — after costs
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. march — the month
  24. mate — a friend

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