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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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. fall — the season
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. fall — to drop
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cold — not warm
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wind — moving air
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. wind — moving air

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