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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bat — the animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. prune — to trim
  5. content — happy
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. content — the amount
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bass — the fish
  17. prune — to trim
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bass — low music
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. calf — a young animal

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