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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fine — all right
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. season — in sport
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. staff — employees
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. fine — high quality
  19. staff — a stick
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rush — hurry
  24. season — of the year

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