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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. land — ground
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. land — a country
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pass — a permit
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. prune — to trim
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. land — to come down
  19. row — to paddle
  20. prune — to trim
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. mate — a partner
  23. row — a line
  24. temple — a place of worship

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