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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  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. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. track — a song
  5. cue — a signal
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. scale — in music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cue — a hint
  10. mate — a partner
  11. kid — child
  12. track — a path
  13. kid — to tease
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. prune — to trim
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. track — to keep track
  20. scale — size or range
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cue — for pool
  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