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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. mate — a partner
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. rest — a break
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. rest — what's left
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mate — a friend
  16. rest — what's left
  17. deal — to handle
  18. 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