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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. snap — to click
  5. march — the month
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. march — the month
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. march — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. last — finally
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. kid — to tease
  14. last — final
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pop — music
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pop — to visit

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