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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fine — all right
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. staff — a stick
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. spell — magic
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mate — to breed
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spell — letters
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. staff — employees
  18. spell — a short time

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