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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. band — a music group
  6. fall — to drop
  7. last — finally
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chip — to eat
  15. last — to go on
  16. chip — for betting
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. key — for a lock
  19. last — final
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. key — in music
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. fall — the season

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