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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · game · season · calf · mate · fall · land · mine

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mate — a partner
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rock — a stone
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. game — a match
  9. rock — music
  10. season — of the year
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. land — a country
  14. mate — a friend
  15. game — wild animals
  16. mine — for digging
  17. land — ground
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. mate — to breed
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. season — in sport
  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