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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 120 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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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 · kid · net · rush · spell · calf · race · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. net — for catching
  7. present — there
  8. present — the time now
  9. kid — to tease
  10. net — after costs
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — the arms race
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. spell — a short time
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. race — a contest
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rush — hurry
  20. spell — magic
  21. net — in sport
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. spell — letters

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