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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wind — moving air
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. wind — moving air
  11. season — in sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pit — in a race
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. season — of the year
  22. pit — a hole
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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