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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. season — in sport
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mate — a partner
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. sharp — clever
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cell — in biology
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. sharp — with an edge

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