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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: mate · calf · sharp · race · mark · bowl · prune · stick

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. sharp — clever
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mark — a trace
  9. prune — to trim
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. race — the arms race
  17. mate — to breed
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mate — a friend
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bowl — a football final

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