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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. last — final
  3. pit — in a race
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. firm — decided
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pitch — completely
  10. firm — a company
  11. ball — a great time
  12. firm — steady
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pop — soda
  17. pit — a hole
  18. ball — a dance
  19. last — finally
  20. mate — to breed
  21. last — to go on
  22. pop — music
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pop — to visit

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