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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. last — finally
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wind — moving air
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. last — final
  7. kick — in football
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wind — moving air
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. last — to go on
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bulb — for light
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. calf — a young animal

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