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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. last — finally
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. last — final
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. drill — a practice
  9. perch — the fish
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. sharp — clever
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. dip — to sink
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. drill — army training
  21. last — to go on
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. drill — the tool

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