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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 116 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. row — a line
  5. last — final
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. spell — letters
  8. last — to go on
  9. spell — a short time
  10. last — finally
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. object — an aim
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. spell — magic
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. object — to protest
  21. row — to paddle
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ruler — a monarch

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