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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  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. hand — help
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mate — to breed
  4. stock — goods
  5. last — final
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. hand — in cards
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stock — shares
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mate — a friend
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. rush — hurry
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. last — to go on
  23. calf — a young animal
  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