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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: mate · chair · fine · calf · wake · shower · bore · game

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mate — to breed
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. wake — a trail
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bore — to drill
  13. mate — a friend
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. shower — to wash
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bore — to tire
  23. shower — rain
  24. chair — a leader

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