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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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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: cell · file · wave · ball · mark · last · face · calf

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cell — a phone
  4. face — to point toward
  5. last — to go on
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. file — a document
  9. last — final
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. face — part of the head
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. face — to confront
  18. cell — in biology
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. last — finally
  24. wave — of the sea

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