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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. staff — employees
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. mate — a partner
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. drill — the tool
  8. pop — music
  9. staff — employees
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pop — soda
  12. drill — army training
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. staff — a stick
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. drill — a practice
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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