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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. mate — to breed
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mate — a partner
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stand — to bear
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. rush — hurry
  19. toast — bread
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. pit — a hole
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. pit — in a race

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