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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. craft — boats
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mate — to breed
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. last — final
  9. file — a document
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. mate — a partner
  12. race — humankind
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. file — a tool
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. last — to go on
  20. kick — in football
  21. file — a line of people
  22. craft — a skill
  23. mate — a friend
  24. race — a contest

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