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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 120 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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mate — a friend
  3. stem — to come from
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bound — certain
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. season — of the year
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bound — tied together
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mate — a partner
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mate — to breed
  21. pop — music
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pop — soda
  24. bat — in an idiom

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