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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. last — finally
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. prune — to trim
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pit — in a race
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mate — a partner
  9. band — a music group
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. last — to go on
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mate — to breed
  15. last — final
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. band — a ring
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pass — a permit

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