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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. row — a line
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. march — the month
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. march — music
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. march — the month
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. last — finally
  21. sharp — clever
  22. dip — to sink
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. dip — to dunk

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