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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mate — a friend
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mate — a partner
  6. board — a committee
  7. mate — to breed
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. last — final
  11. band — a music group
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. last — finally
  18. cold — an illness
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rush — hurry
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. last — to go on
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. calf — a young animal

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