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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bank — of a river
  4. sharp — clever
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mate — a partner
  7. press — a publisher
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bank — for money
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wind — moving air
  19. press — to push
  20. bank — for money
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. press — newspapers
  23. wind — moving air
  24. deal — to handle

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