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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cue — a hint
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. race — humankind
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. race — the arms race
  15. mate — a friend
  16. race — a contest
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mate — to breed
  20. cue — a signal
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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