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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — a company
  3. rest — a break
  4. file — a line of people
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mate — to breed
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. mate — a partner
  11. craft — a skill
  12. rest — what's left
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. craft — boats
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. wound — an injury
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mate — a friend
  21. perch — the fish
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. firm — steady
  24. perch — for a bird

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