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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. root — of a plant
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mate — a partner
  10. swing — in golf
  11. mate — a friend
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. swing — music
  16. shower — to wash
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. swing — to play on
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. shower — rain

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