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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. band — a music group
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. squash — the sport
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. last — final
  10. squash — to crush
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rash — a series
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. band — a ring
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. snap — to click
  17. last — to go on
  18. wind — moving air
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. last — finally
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. band — a rubber band

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