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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. ground — a position
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. ground — the earth
  5. last — to go on
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. last — final
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bound — tied together
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. kick — in football
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. ground — crushed
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. pitcher — a jug

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