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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. branch — a division
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mate — a partner
  5. hand — in cards
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pass — a permit
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. mate — to breed
  14. pit — a hole
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. mate — a friend
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pass — to succeed

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