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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. staff — employees
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. object — an aim
  6. kick — in football
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. track — a path
  9. staff — a stick
  10. track — to keep track
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pass — a permit
  13. field — a subject
  14. hand — in cards
  15. track — a song
  16. field — farmland
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. object — a thing
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. staff — employees
  21. hand — help
  22. field — for sport
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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