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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — finally
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. file — a document
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. dip — to sink
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. drill — a practice
  12. spell — magic
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. spell — a short time
  15. last — final
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. file — a line of people
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. file — a tool
  21. drill — the tool
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. spell — letters
  24. drill — army training

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