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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · calf · straw · hand · club · mate · suit · face

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mate — a partner
  3. face — to confront
  4. club — a group
  5. face — to point toward
  6. file — a tool
  7. suit — clothes
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. hand — in cards
  11. file — a document
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. suit — in cards
  14. mate — a friend
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. face — part of the head
  18. file — a line of people
  19. suit — to fit
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — for golf
  22. mate — to breed
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. hand — help

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