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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. lean — to bend
  3. last — to go on
  4. fine — high quality
  5. last — finally
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. game — a match
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mark — a trace
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. last — final
  18. rush — hurry
  19. lean — thin
  20. mark — a grade
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rush — to hurry

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