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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. last — final
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. last — to go on
  11. rest — what's left
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. fork — in a road
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rest — a break
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. mate — to breed
  18. game — a match
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. game — wild animals
  21. last — finally
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mate — a friend
  24. calf — of the leg

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