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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. season — in sport
  3. mate — a friend
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. snap — to click
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bore — to drill
  12. season — of the year
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. bore — to tire
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. date — the fruit
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. mate — to breed
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mate — a partner

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