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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. mate — a partner
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. mug — to rob
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wax — to grow
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pit — a hole
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rash — hasty
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rash — a series
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. mug — a face
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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