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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mug — to rob
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. mug — a cup
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mug — a face
  8. season — in sport
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. fall — to drop
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mate — a friend
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. fall — the season
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. row — to paddle
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. row — a line
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. fork — in a road
  21. mate — to breed
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. season — of the year
  24. fork — a garden tool

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