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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · mate · calf · march · shower · bay · mine · chair

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. march — the month
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mine — for digging
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. march — the month
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wind — moving air
  17. shower — rain
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. chair — a leader
  24. march — music

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