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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. object — to protest
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bound — obliged
  6. object — a thing
  7. bound — certain
  8. branch — a division
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. rock — music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pit — a hole
  14. last — final
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. last — finally
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. sharp — clever
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. object — an aim
  24. rock — a stone

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