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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. last — final
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. last — finally
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. staff — a stick
  7. present — there
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mate — a partner
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. last — to go on
  17. hand — help
  18. mate — a friend
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mate — to breed
  21. staff — employees
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. shower — rain
  24. staff — employees

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