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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. game — a match
  16. bear — the animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rest — a break
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. game — a kind of play

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