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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. saw — the tool
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. hand — help
  8. chair — a leader
  9. wake — a trail
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wax — to grow
  14. dip — to sink
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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