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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. file — a document
  6. spell — a short time
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. spell — letters
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — a line
  13. scale — size or range
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spell — magic
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. last — finally
  20. row — to paddle
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. lie — to recline

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