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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. last — final
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. last — finally
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. drill — army training
  12. last — to go on
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. perch — the fish
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. perch — for a bird
  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