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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. game — a match
  3. present — a gift
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. present — there
  7. last — to go on
  8. clip — a video
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bound — tied together
  11. last — finally
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. clip — for paper
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — certain
  19. game — wild animals
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. present — the time now
  24. clip — to cut

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