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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mate — a partner
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. mate — a friend
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. stem — to come from
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bowl — a football final

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