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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. band — a ring
  3. rash — hasty
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. band — a music group
  7. net — in sport
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. net — for catching
  10. rash — a series
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. net — after costs
  19. last — to go on
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bulb — for light
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. last — final

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