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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. last — finally
  3. court — of a king
  4. mate — to breed
  5. spell — letters
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. snap — to click
  8. mate — a partner
  9. spell — magic
  10. last — final
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. last — to go on
  13. clip — a video
  14. mate — a friend
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. chair — a leader
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. clip — for paper
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. clip — to cut
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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