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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · last · mine · ball · bear · mate · band

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. last — to go on
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. ball — a dance
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. band — a music group
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mate — a friend
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mate — a partner
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. file — a document
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. band — a ring
  17. last — final
  18. bear — the animal
  19. file — a tool
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mate — to breed
  22. ball — a great time
  23. last — finally
  24. calf — of the leg

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