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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. toast — bread
  3. land — a country
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. last — to go on
  7. land — ground
  8. deal — to handle
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. rush — hurry
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. land — to come down
  17. last — final
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mate — a friend
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. mate — a partner
  24. last — finally

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