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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. last — to go on
  3. foot — a measure
  4. drill — army training
  5. mug — to rob
  6. chest — of your body
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. chest — of your body
  9. drill — a practice
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. march — the month
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. drill — the tool
  15. last — final
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chest — a box
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. march — music
  21. last — finally
  22. march — the month
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mug — a face

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