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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. scale — size or range
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stand — to bear
  10. last — finally
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. last — final
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. scale — in music
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. race — humankind
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. calf — a young animal

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