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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. rock — music
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mate — a partner
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pitch — completely
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. sharp — clever
  24. trunk — of a car

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