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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  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 — a friend
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. roll — a cake
  4. last — to go on
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. roll — a list
  7. mate — a partner
  8. spell — a short time
  9. race — the arms race
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. deal — to handle
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. race — humankind
  14. mate — to breed
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. spell — magic
  17. race — a contest
  18. perch — the fish
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. last — final
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. spell — letters
  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