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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cap — of ice
  4. land — a country
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. drill — army training
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. land — ground
  9. sharp — clever
  10. saw — the tool
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cap — a hat
  15. drill — a practice
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. drill — the tool
  21. last — finally
  22. land — to come down
  23. cap — a lid
  24. squash — to crush

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