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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: snap · court · tear · track · pass · calf · mate · race

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. tear — to rip
  4. court — of law
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mate — a partner
  7. track — a path
  8. mate — a friend
  9. court — of a king
  10. race — the arms race
  11. snap — to click
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. court — for sport
  16. tear — from crying
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. race — a contest
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — a permit
  23. race — humankind
  24. mate — to breed

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