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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. can — to be able to
  3. last — finally
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. date — the fruit
  7. clip — for paper
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. stock — shares
  10. squash — to crush
  11. can — a tin
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. can — a tin
  14. band — a music group
  15. clip — a video
  16. squash — the sport
  17. clip — to cut
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. last — to go on
  20. band — a ring
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. last — final
  24. calf — a young animal

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