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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — a thing
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bat — the animal
  6. object — to protest
  7. bore — to tire
  8. season — of the year
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. band — a music group
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bore — to drill
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. season — in sport
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — to breed
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. season — to add flavour

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