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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mug — a cup
  3. cell — a phone
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. hand — help
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. hand — in cards
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mug — a face
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. cell — in biology
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mug — to rob
  24. wake — a trail

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