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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. mate — a partner
  13. prune — to trim
  14. tube — a container
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tube — the underground
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. mate — to breed

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