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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. last — finally
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. game — a match
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. last — to go on
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. face — to point toward
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. band — a ring
  14. last — final
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. rush — hurry
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. band — a music group
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. pound — a weight
  24. face — to confront

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