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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chair — a leader
  3. last — finally
  4. mate — a partner
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. last — final
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mate — to breed
  12. fine — all right
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. last — to go on
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. fine — high quality
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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