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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. saw — the tool
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wound — an injury
  10. game — wild animals
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. rest — what's left
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mate — a friend
  15. game — a match
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. rest — a break
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bark — to shout
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. calf — a young animal

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