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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. last — finally
  7. mate — to breed
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. object — a thing
  10. ground — crushed
  11. court — of law
  12. mate — a partner
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. last — final
  15. object — an aim
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — to bear
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. last — to go on
  22. object — to protest
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — to grow

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