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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. mark — a trace
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. net — in sport
  7. last — to go on
  8. net — after costs
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mark — a grade
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. file — a tool
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. file — a document
  20. last — final
  21. net — for catching
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. last — finally

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