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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mate — a friend
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pitch — completely
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mate — a partner
  13. cold — not warm
  14. fine — all right
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. fine — high quality
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the sport
  22. mate — to breed
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. mouse — the animal

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