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

Word bank: pit · fall · bat · mate · calf · nail · wave · cell

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pit — in a race
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fall — the season
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bat — the animal
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pit — a hole

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