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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. last — to go on
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pop — soda
  12. last — finally
  13. pop — music
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. last — final
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rule — government
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pop — to visit

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