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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chest — of your body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. land — ground
  11. foot — a measure
  12. land — to come down
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. chest — a box
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. land — a country
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. calf — of the leg

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