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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. ground — crushed
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. mate — a partner
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ground — the earth
  13. deal — to handle
  14. rock — a stone
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pitch — completely
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. ground — a position
  21. rock — music
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mate — to breed
  24. fan — a supporter

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