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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rush — hurry
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. last — finally
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. hand — in cards
  11. vault — a safe
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. hand — help
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a ring
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. band — a music group
  21. last — to go on
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pitch — a sports field

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