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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pass — a permit
  5. rush — hurry
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wound — an injury
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cue — a signal
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rest — what's left
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rest — a break
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cue — for pool
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — to spend time

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