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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pit — in a race
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. drill — the tool
  9. hand — help
  10. spring — the season
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pit — a hole
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. spring — a coil
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. drill — a practice
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. drill — army training
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. spring — of water

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