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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. field — a subject
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. last — to go on
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. last — finally
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. drill — army training
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. perch — the fish
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. drill — a practice
  22. plane — a tool
  23. drill — the tool
  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