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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rest — what's left
  7. present — there
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fine — all right
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rest — a break
  12. mate — a partner
  13. present — the time now
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. mate — a friend
  17. plane — a tool
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fine — high quality
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. present — a gift

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