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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pit — a hole
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. mate — to breed
  6. rule — a law
  7. rest — a break
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mine — for digging
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pit — in a race
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. scale — in music
  23. rule — government
  24. mine — an explosive

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