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

Word bank: mate · kick · staff · march · rest · calf · wave · degree

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. kick — in football
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. staff — employees
  7. mate — a partner
  8. march — the month
  9. rest — what's left
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. mate — to breed
  14. march — the month
  15. degree — temperature
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. degree — from a university
  18. staff — a stick
  19. mate — a friend
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. rest — what's left
  22. staff — employees
  23. march — music
  24. calf — a young animal

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