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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cue — a hint
  3. present — there
  4. drill — army training
  5. firm — steady
  6. pass — a permit
  7. drill — a practice
  8. last — to go on
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. firm — a company
  12. firm — decided
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cue — for pool
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. cue — a signal
  18. drill — the tool
  19. prune — to trim
  20. last — finally
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

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