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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. capital — a city
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. capital — money
  6. wound — an injury
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. rule — a law
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — government
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. last — finally
  17. snap — to click
  18. last — final
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. capital — a big letter
  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