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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 120 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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. last — final
  3. net — for catching
  4. last — finally
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. ball — a dance
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. file — a tool
  12. net — after costs
  13. mate — to breed
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. last — to go on
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. ball — a great time
  24. net — in sport

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