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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 116 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. fall — the season
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cold — an illness
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rush — hurry
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fall — to drop
  15. swing — in golf
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cold — not warm
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. drill — army training

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