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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. key — in music
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rash — hasty
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. shower — to wash
  15. mate — a friend
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. shower — rain
  19. mate — a partner
  20. key — the most important part
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rash — a series
  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