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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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. wave — with your hand
  4. ground — a position
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. perch — the fish
  10. ground — crushed
  11. track — a song
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. track — to keep track
  16. last — finally
  17. track — a path
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. last — final
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wave — of the sea

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