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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. cell — in biology
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rest — what's left
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. stand — to bear
  19. row — a line
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pass — a permit
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mine — an explosive

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