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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rule — a law
  3. last — final
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. last — finally
  9. cue — for pool
  10. drill — the tool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — a measure
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rule — government
  18. last — to go on
  19. deal — to handle
  20. drill — army training
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. drill — a practice

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