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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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Word bank
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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: season · suit · mate · ground · rush · calf · pop · deal

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ground — a position
  3. suit — clothes
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rush — hurry
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. pop — soda
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. suit — to fit
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. mate — to breed
  15. deal — to handle
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pop — music
  19. mate — a partner
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. mate — a friend
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. suit — in cards

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