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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. sharp — clever
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bound — obliged
  6. mate — a partner
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bound — certain
  9. wound — an injury
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mine — for digging
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wound — an injury
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. rest — what's left
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rest — a break
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. rest — what's left
  24. calf — a young animal

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