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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. firm — decided
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. band — a music group
  6. snap — to click
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a cake
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. last — final
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. last — finally
  14. field — for sport
  15. roll — a list
  16. firm — steady
  17. band — a ring
  18. last — to go on
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. field — a subject
  21. chair — a leader
  22. field — farmland
  23. firm — a company
  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