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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. 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. last — to go on
  2. fall — the season
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bat — the animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. charge — electricity
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. fall — to drop
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. charge — a price
  15. mark — a grade
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mark — a trace
  18. fall — to drop
  19. charge — in control
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a word
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. last — finally
  24. 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