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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. last — to go on
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mate — to breed
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cue — a signal
  8. last — final
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mate — a partner
  11. march — the month
  12. last — finally
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. cue — a hint
  16. march — the month
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mate — a friend
  19. march — music
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cue — for pool
  22. wake — a trail
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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