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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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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: kick · mine · calf · fan · firm · fall · hide · bat

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. kick — in football
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. firm — a company
  13. fall — the season
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — decided
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bat — the animal
  24. mine — for digging

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