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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · mate · last · calf · deal · straw

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mate — a friend
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. mate — a partner
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. race — a contest
  11. last — final
  12. last — to go on
  13. race — humankind
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. race — the arms race
  17. mate — to breed
  18. straw — dry grass

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