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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 120 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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. lie — to recline
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — a contest
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. wind — moving air
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pound — a weight
  21. sharp — clever
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wind — moving air

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