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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. last — final
  11. ground — the earth
  12. object — a thing
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. chest — a box
  15. saw — the tool
  16. chest — of your body
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. ground — crushed
  19. last — finally
  20. ground — a position
  21. object — to protest
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. chest — of your body
  24. object — an aim

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