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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. kid — child
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mate — a partner
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. plane — a tool
  15. kid — to tease
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. row — a line
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — to push
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wound — an injury

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