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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. object — to protest
  4. pass — a permit
  5. key — in music
  6. bound — certain
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. last — final
  9. stem — to come from
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bound — obliged
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bound — tied together
  15. last — to go on
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. rash — hasty
  18. last — finally
  19. object — a thing
  20. key — for a lock
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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