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

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. mate — a partner
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. file — a document
  6. craft — boats
  7. last — finally
  8. mate — to breed
  9. file — a tool
  10. wind — moving air
  11. file — a line of people
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bass — the fish
  16. last — final
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. last — to go on
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wind — moving air
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bass — low 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