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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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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 · mate · clip · rule · calf · straw · craft · date

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mate — to breed
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. date — the fruit
  12. rule — government
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — boats
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cell — in biology
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rule — a law
  23. cell — a phone
  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