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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rush — hurry
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. degree — an amount
  7. club — for dancing
  8. mate — a partner
  9. fall — the season
  10. degree — from a university
  11. club — a group
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. fall — to drop
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. club — for golf
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. degree — temperature
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mate — to breed
  24. pass — a permit

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