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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. tube — the underground
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. last — finally
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bat — the animal
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. shower — rain
  21. tube — a container
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. last — to go on
  24. toast — bread

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