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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mate — a friend
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. ball — a dance
  10. face — to confront
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. face — to point toward
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bulb — for light
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bulb — for light
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. mate — a partner
  24. deal — an agreement

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