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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wound — an injury
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. wake — a trail
  9. last — final
  10. wound — an injury
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. present — there
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. present — a gift
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. last — finally
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. present — the time now

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