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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — final
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. last — finally
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. rash — hasty
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rash — a series
  17. field — a subject
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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