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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 120 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pit — in a race
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. mate — to breed
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mate — a partner
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. spell — magic
  24. pitch — completely

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