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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. last — final
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. rush — hurry
  17. season — in sport
  18. mate — to breed
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — a friend
  23. season — of the year
  24. cabinet — ministers

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