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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 120 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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. mug — a cup
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. file — a line of people
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mug — to rob
  12. wind — moving air
  13. file — a document
  14. rock — a stone
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. rock — music
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. pitch — completely
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mug — a face

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