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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. clip — a video
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. last — to go on
  15. pass — a permit
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. clip — for paper
  19. fall — the season
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. calf — a young animal

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