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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mate — to breed
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bank — for money
  7. court — for sport
  8. mate — a partner
  9. root — of a word
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. court — of law
  12. root — the cause
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. shower — rain
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bank — of a river
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. court — of a king
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bank — for money

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