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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. season — of the year
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. race — humankind
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pass — a permit
  9. snap — to click
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rush — hurry
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. shower — to wash
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. season — in sport
  20. shower — rain
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. prune — to trim
  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