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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. last — finally
  5. kid — to tease
  6. spring — a coil
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. kid — child
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. last — to go on
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fine — all right
  19. spring — of water
  20. fine — high quality
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. spring — the season
  24. perch — for a bird

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