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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. march — the month
  4. ground — crushed
  5. march — music
  6. shower — to wash
  7. ground — the earth
  8. shower — rain
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a document
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. mug — a cup
  13. squash — to crush
  14. ground — a position
  15. file — a tool
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mug — to rob
  18. march — the month
  19. mug — a face
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. squash — the sport
  22. mate — a friend
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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