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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. last — final
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. cue — for pool
  10. pound — a weight
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. cue — a signal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. last — finally
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. fork — in a road
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. cue — a hint
  21. fall — the season
  22. ball — a dance
  23. fall — to drop
  24. last — to go on

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