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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. row — a line
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. clip — a video
  5. bass — the fish
  6. last — to go on
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. clip — for paper
  10. court — for sport
  11. clip — to cut
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bass — low music
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. court — of law
  17. last — final
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. court — of a king
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. temple — a place of worship

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