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

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cap — of ice
  5. can — to be able to
  6. band — a ring
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. can — a tin
  9. last — finally
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. last — to go on
  12. can — a tin
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cap — a hat
  15. band — a music group
  16. cap — a lid
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. 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