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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pass — a permit
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. field — a subject
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. mate — a partner
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — a hole
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. last — to go on
  15. field — farmland
  16. mate — to breed
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. field — for sport
  21. last — finally
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mate — a friend

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