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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fork — in a road
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. rush — a thrill

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