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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mate — a friend
  3. season — of the year
  4. fork — in a road
  5. present — a gift
  6. mate — to breed
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pop — to visit
  10. present — there
  11. shower — rain
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mate — a partner
  14. scale — size or range
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pop — soda
  17. present — the time now
  18. season — in sport
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. pop — music
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. scale — in music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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