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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: game · fall · pop · hide · calf · bat · pass · row

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. pop — soda
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pop — music
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. row — a line
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. row — to paddle
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. pop — to visit
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. game — a match
  23. game — wild animals
  24. hide — to keep secret

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