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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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. rash — on the skin
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bass — the fish
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bass — low music
  8. race — a contest
  9. rash — a series
  10. face — to point toward
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. face — to confront
  13. ball — a dance
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. race — humankind
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mate — a friend
  22. file — a document
  23. rash — hasty
  24. face — part of the head

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