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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. court — for sport
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. chip — for betting
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pass — a permit
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. court — of a king
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. chip — to eat
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. court — of law
  21. mate — to breed
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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