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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. object — to protest
  3. mate — a partner
  4. row — a line
  5. rock — music
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mate — to breed
  8. object — a thing
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. cell — in biology
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mate — a friend
  16. craft — boats
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. object — an aim
  23. rock — a stone
  24. craft — a skill

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