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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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wound — an injury
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — a stone
  7. mate — to breed
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. season — of the year
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. mate — a friend
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. season — in sport
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rock — music
  20. wake — a trail
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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