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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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Word bank
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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. game — a match
  4. file — a line of people
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mate — a friend
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. file — a tool
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bear — the animal
  13. file — a document
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mate — to breed
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wind — moving air
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wind — moving air
  23. craft — boats
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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