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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. last — to go on
  3. rash — a series
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rash — hasty
  6. last — final
  7. cold — not warm
  8. object — an aim
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bank — for money
  14. last — finally
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. object — a thing

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