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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. track — a song
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pop — music
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — to visit
  13. track — a path
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — in music
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. track — to keep track
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. mate — to breed

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