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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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Word bank
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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: last · mate · calf · coach · stock · kid · rule · mark

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. kid — to tease
  6. last — finally
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mate — a friend
  9. last — to go on
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stock — goods
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rule — government
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mark — a trace
  20. rule — a law
  21. kid — child
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. stock — shares
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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