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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rest — a break
  6. board — a committee
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cold — not warm
  9. rest — what's left
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spell — a short time
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. rest — what's left
  17. suit — clothes
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. cold — an illness
  20. board — to get on
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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