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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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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. track — a song
  3. game — wild animals
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. game — a match
  6. row — to paddle
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mate — to breed
  12. cap — a lid
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. cap — a hat
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. row — a line
  17. cap — of ice
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mate — a friend
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. deal — to handle
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. track — a path

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