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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mate — to breed
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. rest — what's left
  10. date — the fruit
  11. rest — a break
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mate — a partner
  14. rest — what's left
  15. snap — to click
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mate — a friend
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. wind — moving air
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. date — on the calendar

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