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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. track — a song
  5. court — of law
  6. roll — a cake
  7. mate — to breed
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. court — of a king
  11. cold — an illness
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cold — not warm
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. roll — a list
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. court — for sport

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