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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: spring · fine · fall · fan · calf · pitch · straw · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. fall — the season
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. spring — of water
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fall — to drop
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pitch — completely
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. spring — the season
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fan — a supporter
  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