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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. staff — a stick
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rash — hasty
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. last — finally
  9. staff — employees
  10. last — to go on
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. rash — a series
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mate — a friend
  17. sharp — clever
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. last — final
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. staff — employees

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