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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bore — to drill
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. court — of a king
  7. scale — size or range
  8. current — happening now
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. net — in sport
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. net — for catching
  13. band — a ring
  14. net — after costs
  15. scale — in music
  16. court — of law
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. current — of water
  19. court — for sport
  20. bore — to tire
  21. current — electric
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. band — a music group

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