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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fall — the season
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. fall — to drop
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. object — an aim
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fall — to drop
  15. object — to protest
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rest — a break
  19. last — to go on
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bound — certain
  22. object — a thing
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rest — what's left

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