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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — a thing
  4. band — a ring
  5. cue — for pool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cue — a hint
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. object — to protest
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. last — final
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. tear — from crying
  24. calf — of the leg

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