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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. tube — a container
  3. hand — in cards
  4. spell — letters
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. hand — help
  8. spell — magic
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. spell — a short time
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. tube — the underground
  17. track — to keep track
  18. last — final

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