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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cell — in biology
  3. charge — a price
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cell — a phone
  8. last — finally
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. charge — in control
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. charge — electricity
  16. tube — a container
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. march — the month
  21. last — to go on
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. straw — dry grass

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