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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. wind — moving air
  3. last — finally
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. last — final
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. capital — money
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. foot — a measure
  13. date — the fruit
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bulb — for light
  17. game — a match
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. last — to go on
  20. capital — a city
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bulb — for light
  24. foot — part of the body

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