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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 116 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. row — a line
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mate — to breed
  10. row — to paddle
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. kick — in football
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. clip — to cut
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. clip — a video
  24. pitcher — a jug

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