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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. squash — to crush
  3. present — a gift
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mate — to breed
  7. game — a match
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. mine — for digging
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rash — a series
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. fall — the season
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. mate — a friend
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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