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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. last — to go on
  3. net — in sport
  4. bound — certain
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. hand — in cards
  9. last — final
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. net — for catching
  12. scale — in music
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bound — obliged
  15. net — after costs
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bound — tied together
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. scale — size or range
  23. hand — help
  24. last — finally

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