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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bass — the fish
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. cue — a hint
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cue — for pool
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. row — to paddle
  11. track — a song
  12. prune — to trim
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bass — low music
  20. cue — a signal
  21. row — a line
  22. prune — to trim
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. trunk — of a tree

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