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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 116 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. cold — not warm
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. spell — magic
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. last — finally
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. last — final
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wax — to grow
  15. hand — help
  16. cue — a signal
  17. hand — in cards
  18. spell — letters
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. last — to go on
  21. cue — for pool
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cue — a hint
  24. hand — part of the body

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