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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. last — finally
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mate — a friend
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bat — the animal
  13. last — to go on
  14. bulb — for light
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. mark — a grade
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. lean — thin
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. lean — to bend

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