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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. foot — a measure
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. rule — a law
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rule — government
  9. last — final
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. scale — size or range
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pit — in a race
  22. scale — in music
  23. pit — a hole
  24. scale — for weighing

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