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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 116 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mate — a partner
  4. deal — to handle
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. field — a subject
  9. mate — a friend
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. field — for sport
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — a line
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. mate — to breed
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. field — farmland
  20. vault — a safe
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. last — to go on

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