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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. ground — a position
  3. last — finally
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — a thing
  6. pop — soda
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. last — final
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ground — the earth
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. pop — to visit
  14. can — a tin
  15. ground — crushed
  16. last — to go on
  17. can — a tin
  18. object — to protest
  19. pop — music
  20. can — to be able to
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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