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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pop — to visit
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. tear — to rip
  5. season — in sport
  6. mate — a friend
  7. staff — employees
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mate — a partner
  10. tear — from crying
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pop — music
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. staff — employees
  16. tear — from crying
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — in music
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pop — soda
  21. season — of the year
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mate — to breed

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